Harry Potter and The Golden Spear
by cubs9911
Summary: This is a Sixth Year Harry Potter story. With Voldemort at full force, war is on its way. Harry has revenge on his mind and will need the help of Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the rest of the DA if he is going to avenge the deaths of his parents and Sirius.
1. Lonely Days at Number 4

Harry Potter and the Quest for the Golden Sphere  
Chapter 1  
  
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
Authors Note: I enjoyed reading fan fiction so much that I figured I'd try writing it. It's my first one comments and criticism are welcome. I hope you like it. For all you shippers out there, I tend to lean towards R/Hr and H/G.  
  
No one could really call him a young boy anymore, not if you saw him. He had definitely grown physically. His shoulders had widened out to the point where he was sure he would need to purchase new robes, he had facial hair that seemingly had a mind of its own and he was probably closer to Ron in height now although he wouldn't real know since he hadn't seen is mate in a couple of months. Harry figured that upon seeing him everyone would comment about how he had grown into a man (there would probably be a lot of comments about how much he resembled his father). But it wouldn't be his height, or shoulders, or amount of facial hair he had that people would notice first when they saw him, it was the look in his eyes.  
  
Harry Potter was a wizard, the most famous wizard in the world. He was reminded everyday when he looked at that lightning shaped scar on his forehead, that he was a marked man. When people looked at him last year they saw anger and maybe even a little fear. But that had all changed. There was nothing in his eyes right now but revenge and determination. Last year, Harry had feared Voldemort because he didn't know how powerful he was, he didn't know what he was trying to do, he didn't know why he was after him since he was a baby. But now Harry knew. He knew that there was a prophecy in which he was the one with "the power to vanquish the dark lord". Voldemort had been scared of Harry from the beginning because he knew about the prophecy. But he hadn't heard it all and this is where Harry had the advantage. Voldemort didn't know that one of them had to die at the hands of the other, but Harry did.  
  
Since coming home from his 5th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry had thought of little else than that prophecy. His godfather, the notorious Sirius Black, had been killed defending him and that prophecy. Harry missed Sirius dearly, but he quickly realized that the best way to make sure that his godfather was vindicated was to take down Voldemort and every last death eater with him. He would practice his dueling tirelessly, he would start up the DA (Dumbledore's Army) again so that everyone brave enough to stand up with him would be as well trained as he, and he would even beg Snape to continue teaching him Occulmency so that Voldemort would never be able to access his mind again. For the first time in his life, Harry was no longer concerned about why it had to be him that Voldemort came after. He no longer obsessed about the fact that his parents where taken away from when he was a baby or that he was sent to live with the Dursleys who always attempted to make his life as miserable as possible. The only thing he knew right now was that he was going to commit his life to getting Voldemort.  
  
Before he could elaborate on his thoughts very much the bellowing of a voice that Harry knew immediately to be his Uncles echoed through the hallway.  
  
"Harry Potter, get down here this instant" Uncle Vernon yelled.  
  
Most of the summer, Harry and the Dursley's had managed to pretty much avoid each other. Aunt Petunia would usually give Harry some chores to do but other than that they would barely make contact with one another. It probably had a lot to do with the members of the Order of the Phoenix telling Harry's uncle that if he treated Harry poorly than he would have to answer to them. It got do be boring sometimes when he would he would go long periods of time only talking to Hedwig is owl but it was better than having to deal with the Dursleys.  
  
As Harry came down the stairs he saw his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and cousin Dudley all sitting in the den with particularly smug looks on there faces.  
  
"We are going on holiday the day after tomorrow to a place called Florida in the United States" Aunt Petunia said. "I attempted to contact Mrs. Figg to see if you could stay with her the rest of the summer but it seems no one has seen or heard from her lately. So you will need to find a place to be the rest of your summer break".  
  
This news infuriated and relieved Harry at the same time. While he was glad that this would be as good an excuse as any to join his friends at Remold Place, he could not believe that his Aunt would tell him to get out when she knew that this would be the safest place for him.  
  
"Anything else", Harry said with a look so cold that he was sure he saw his aunt shiver.  
  
"No" Uncle Vernon added with a stern look on his face that Harry was sure was there only to mask the fear he felt towards his abnormal nephew.  
  
With that Harry ascended the stairs and went straight to his room and grabbed some parchment and a quill from the lose board on his floor where he kept as many wizarding things as he could hidden.  
  
He began to write a letter  
  
Dumbledore,  
  
The Dursleys are going on holiday the day after tomorrow and told me that I need to find a place to stay the rest of the summer. Since there are only a few weeks left, I assume that I will be able to join everyone at Grimmauld Place. Please let me know how I should get there, as I'm sure that you will have someone pick me up.  
  
Regards Harry  
  
It occurred to Harry after he had written the letter that it might have been a little cold. He did not blame Dumbledore for everything that had happened to him the previous year, but in many ways he was still angry with him. Dumbledore needed to tell him the truth about things and until Harry was convinced that he was, he would not be able to give him the amount of trust that he once had.  
  
Next, Harry decided to write to Ron and Hermione to tell them that he would potentially be coming in the next few days.  
  
Ron and Hermione  
  
Great news! The Dursleys are going on holiday day after tomorrow so I will undoubtedly be seeing you soon. I wrote to Dumbledore and told him so hopefully I will hear back soon. I can't wait to see you guys and here more about your summer.  
  
I hope this finds you well.  
  
Love Harry  
  
Harry folded up both letters carefully and tied them to Hedwig's leg making sure to instruct him to bring Dumbledore his letter first. Then he opened the window and let Hedwig fly away into the night sky. A feeling of contentment came over Harry. He was finally going to be with his friends again. He knew that they would understand his feelings and be right at his side no matter what happened. And with that, he drifted off to sleep with the hopes that good news would find him in the morning.  
  
***********************************************  
  
The next morning Harry awoke from a dreamless sleep with Hedwig pecking him in the upper arm. He opened his eyes a peek and noticed that Hedwig had two letters with him. This meant that both Dumbledore and Ron and Hermione had got back to him. Harry quickly untied the letters from Hedwig's leg and read the first one, which was from Dumbledore.  
  
Harry  
  
While this is sooner than I would have liked you to leave the protection of your aunt's house, I am quite sure that you will be well protected at Grimmauld Place.  
  
Arthur Weasly has volunteered to escort you personally. Be ready tonight at 6:00 p.m.  
  
Looking forward to seeing you soon.  
  
Albus Dumbledore Headmaster: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
  
So he would be leaving at 6:00. That would give him plenty of time to get all his things packed up and ready to go. But first he picked up the letter from Ron and Hermione.  
  
Harry  
  
We are both so very glad that you will be joining us. Things have been unusually quiet as of late. Usually people are coming in and out of the house constantly but as of late there has not been much activity. Almost everyone has been here and they have been having nightly meetings that they still will not allow us to be apart of. Ron keeps telling me not to worry but I can't help it. I'll be much happier when we are all together.  
  
With Love Hermione  
  
Harry put down the letter and thought to himself quickly that inactivity at the Order at least meant that Voldemort wasn't doing much, which was a good thing even if it was only the calm before the storm. It would be easier to concentrate on what Voldemort was doing when he was with his friends and the rest of the order. So Harry got his trunk and began to store his things away for his trip to Grimmauld Place. When everything was stored away and ready to go Harry looked at the clock on the wall and realized that he still had five more hours until Mr. Weasly would be there. Since Hedwig had waked him early Harry decided that he would have a lie down for a couple of hours. So he lay on the bed and closed his eyes and hoped that when he woke up it would be time to leave.  
  
Harry couldn't see anything but he could hear voices. Two voices actually.  
  
"He was looking for me", said the familiar voice of a witch.  
  
"Where is he now", another asked. Harry knew without being able to see him that this was the voice of Voldemort. It was so eerily calm that it would send a chill down the spine of anyone that heard it.\  
  
"We are holding him downstairs in the dugens. What a foolish boy, he thought that he could dare challenge me. Shall I dispose of him right away?" it appeared as though the witch was thouroughly anticipating an affirmation from Voldemort.  
  
"No", Voldemort hissed " he may be of some use to us. When Potter finds out that he is missing he will undoubtedly come looking for him and then I will finally get my revenge. Take me to him"  
  
With that, the voices started to fade. Harry could still hear words being spoken but he could not make them out. The next second Harry was jarred awake in his bed with his scar hurting so badly that it felt like a knife was slowly carving away at his flesh and one word was burned into his mind, CRUCIO. 


	2. Back to Number 12

Chapter Two

Back to Number Twelve

Only someone who has felt the Cruciatus Curse before can truly understand the pain that accompanies it. Two minutes under Crucio seems like an hour. Parts of your body feel like a white-hot iron is slowly burning them. It was an experience that Harry would have liked to forget. But now it was fresh in his mind and he was reliving the pain through the excruciating screams that echoed inh his mind. Immediately Harry began to question what he had just experienced. Why had he gone looking for her? What did he possibly think that he would accomplish? But when he really thought logically about it, Harry knew.

Neville had become increasingly more confident thanks to the help of the DA. He was really starting to show that he was a more than capable wizard and he had been right at Harry's side last year at the Department of Mysteries. Bellatrix Lestrange tortured Neville's parents to the point of insanity and there was no doubt in Harry's mind that Neville had been feeling the same thirst for revenge that Harry had been feeling all summer. The logic of a wizard Neville's age with his ability going after an accomplished and evil witch alone was not a concept that many people would be able to understand. But Harry could understand and he admired the courage of poor Neville. No one would ever doubt his place in Gryffindor House again. Harry new the rage that Neville was feeling, the problem, was that Neville acted on it too early. Harry quickly thought to himself that he would not make the same mistake.

The next thought in Harry's mind was to contact the Order. He was fairly sure that no one else would have the information that he now had so he looked for a piece of parchment and a quill so he could quickly fire off a letter to Dumbledore. However, before he could Hedwig pecked him in the leg and with a swish of her head aimed Harry's attention toward the clock on the wall. It was 5:30. Mr. Weasley would be here shortly and he would know who to contact. With that Harry took his trunk and Hedwig and began to maneuver everything down the stairs to await Mr. Weasley's arrival.

About 40 minutes later Harry was pacing around in his room trying to make sure that he left nothing behind when he heard the distinct sound of the doorbell ringing about fifty times in succession.

"What in the bloody hell is all this racket about?" Harry heard his uncle scream. "When I find out who disturbed me from nap I'm going to cut of their sodding finger". This last comment made Harry chuckle quietly to himself. He knew that the only person that would take such liberties with a doorbell would be Mr. Weasley because he was so fascinated by all Muggle things, and he also knew that Uncle Vernon was likely to swallow his tongue when he saw Mr. Weasley (especially after the debacle in his 4th year when Uncle Vernon's fireplace was destroyed).

"What is it?" Uncle Vernon yelled as he opened the door.

"Good Evening Mr. Dursley, it's nice to see you again," Mr. Weasley said as he extended his hand out. Mr. Weasley had obviously attempted to dress like a Muggle but would probably have stood out less in his wizarding robes. He had on a pair of jeans fully equipped with cowboy boots, a red vest, and a big ten-gallon hat. He had most likely come across an old American western movie on the telly and figured that this was a common fashion for Muggles.

The look on Uncle Vernon's face was priceless. His eyes rose in surprise as if he had just seen a ghost, and his mouth opened wide enough to accommodate a scream although no sound came out. He immediately closed the door in Mr. Weasley's face and turned toward the stairs.

"Why didn't you warn me that that freak family was coming here to pick you up?" Uncle Vernon demanded. The vein on the top of his head was now emerging and Harry could see that the best thing would be to just leave quietly.

Harry grabbed his trunk and started to pull it towards the front door hoping that he could leave without even acknowledging his uncle. However, Mr. Weasley had no intentions of letting such behavior go unrewarded. The next thing Harry knew the door was magically flung open and Mr. Weasley stood staring at Vernon with such fury in his eyes that you would have thought Vernon just killed his first born.

"You are not welco—," Uncle Vernon started to say before a very quick flick of the wrist took his voice away completely.

"There is no reason to be so rude Dursley." Mr. Weasley said in a soft tone that Harry would not have thought possible having seen the ferocity revealed in his face. "We'll take Harry's things and leave quietly, but remember that Harry is your family and one never knows when he will need his family."

Mr. Weasley grabbed an end of Harry's trunk and led him through the front door leaving Vernon still trying to scream his head off futilely. Harry thought he heard a shriek come from his aunt as the door closed behind them.

"Not to worry Harry, the spell will wear off in about an hour," Mr. Weasley exclaimed with a chuckle.

"Who's worried?" Harry responded lightheartedly.

Mr. Weasley quickly transfigured the trunk so that it would it was small enough to fit in his pocket and then he placed a cloaking charm and himself and Harry and explained that they would be flying to a forest about 10 miles away where they would be able to take a portkey to Grimmauld Place.

"You have your broom Harry?" he asked.

"Yea, right here" Harry responded

"Then let's be off," said Mr. Weasley with a hint of excitement in his voice.

It was actually a very nice end of July night. The air was a little cool as the two wizards ascended higher into the sky but it was not at all uncomfortable, as it had been flying to Grimmauld Place last year Harry thought to himself.

"It'll really be a quick flight," Mr. Weasley yelled to Harry in the air. "We just need to get away from protective charms that Dumbledore put up around Privet Drive."

Harry had not flown on his Firebolt in quite a while and it felt good to rush through the air with the wind flow quickly through his hair. Flying had always come very naturally to him and the weren't many things that relaxed him more.

"We're going to set down right past those trees up ahead," Mr. Weasley yelled so that Harry could hear him.

Harry nodded in acceptance but before he could even shift his eyes forward again his body went limp and pain rocketed through his scar. It seemed that with all the excitement of the interaction between Mr. Weasley and Uncle Vernon, Harry had completely forgotten about his first objective, Neville. But he would not forget again. This time he could see the face of Neville. His eyes were blood shot and his screams were enough to make the bravest of men fall to their knees. Harry knew he had to snap out of it but the pain was too great and he began to fall rapidly toward the ground. Luckily, Mr. Weasley had seen what was happening and was no slouch on a broom himself. He swept down quickly and positioned himself under Harry to grab him as he came in contact with the broom. The impact was more than Mr. Weasley had expected. Apparently he hadn't taken notice of Harry's more developed frame. The combined weight of the two jerked the broom down and almost caused Mr. Weasley to fall. Cautiously he directed the broom down to the ground and began to call to Harry hoping that he could snap him out of whatever trance he was under.

But, Harry could not see anything but the face of Neville writhing in pain. He could not hear anything but the screams and pleas of his housemate that begged for the pain to stop. Then in a swift moment the pain stopped and Harry looked up at Mr. Weasley who was starring at him with an appearance of concern and shock.

"It's Neville Mr. Weasley," Harry said with a look of intense concentration in his eyes. "Voldemort has him".

Mr. Weasley visibly cringed at the sound of that name, much like Ron usually did. But he quickly regained his composure and nodded solemnly to Harry. Many people refused to believe Harry when he had visions of Voldemort's activity, but Mr. Weasley would never doubt Harry for a moment. After all, Harry had seen a vision of Mr. Weasley being bitten by a snake at the Department of Mysteries last year and had saved his life by getting help there quickly.

"Grab your broom Harry, the portkeys just ahead." He finally replied. "We need to get to Grimmauld Place"

Harry noticed that his broom had come down about thirty yards away. He quickly jogged over to get it and noticed that the broom had handled the fall quite nicely. It still looked brand new without a twig out of place. He acknowledged to Mr. Weasley that he had it and quickly followed him into the forest. About twenty yards into the forest Harry saw an old rusted lunch bucket on the ground.

"This is it Harry, we'll grab it on the count of three" Mr. Weasley said with a sense of urgency in his voice.

"One, Two, Three." As Harry's hand touched the lunch bucket he felt the familiar feeling of something pulling at his navel and he felt as though he had been launched through space and was being pulled viciously toward a light up ahead. The next second his feet had slammed into the ground right in front of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Harry quickly got his wits about him and followed Mr. Weasley through the front door.

Grimmauld Place had definitely gone through some significant changes since Harry had last stepped foot inside it. At the beginning of the summer Dumbledore had informed Harry that per Sirius' wishes, everything that he had (save some mementos which went to Remus Lupin) now belonged to Harry including Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Harry had then informed Dumbledore that Grimmauld Place should certainly still be used as the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix despite the change in ownership and assured him that any changes that he deemed necessary would be acceptable. And with one look inside, it was clear that changes had been made.

The place had been brightened up a bit for starters. The wallpaper that was once black and peeling had been redone in a golden color with red stripes. The carpeting was now a very deep red and the chandelier which was once in the shape of a serpent had been taken down and replaced by a new one that Harry felt reminded him of something he had seen at Hogwarts. Harry also noticed that many of the serpent shaped artifacts that had been around the house had been replaced with lions.

"Harry dear, we are all so grateful that Dumbledore allowed you to join us." Mrs. Weasley said happily as she grabbed Harry into a big bear hug. However, with an intuition that only a mother could have she pulled away from Harry and looked between he and her husband. "What is it?" was all she could say.

"Harry had a vision through his scar" Mr. Weasley explained. Harry was grateful that he had left out the part about falling off his broom, as he hated having people get carried away with worry at his expense.

"Oh my, what is it Harry?" Mrs. Weasley cried. She had a look of desperation in her eyes.

"I saw Neville, and I felt him going through a lot of pain" Harry said trying to stay as calm as he could. "I believe that Voldemort has him"

Mrs. Weasley gasped quickly and a look of anguish came over her face. It was difficult for a mother to hear that a child was in the hands of such evil people. "Don't worry Harry dear," Mrs. Weasley replied trying to sound as comforting as she could. "A meeting of the Order is just about to begin, we will tell everyone of your vision and I'm sure immediate action will be taken."

"No it won't." said a voice emerging from further down the hallway. "You also said that Voldemort had Black which led to his death and put many people in extreme danger."

Severus Snape gilded right between Harry and Mrs. Weasley and engaged Harry in a stare down that lasted about a minute before another word was said. Harry noticed that Snape looked more pale and sickly than ever. He had bags under has eyes which made him appear as though he had not slept in weeks and Harry noticed that he had marks on his neck that looked a lot like rope burns.

"We will inform the rest of the Order and then begin an investigation into this matter." Snape said with a cringe.

"He doesn't have that much time!" Harry screamed. This rise in tone visibly frightened Mrs. Weasley as Harry noticed that she jumped about two feet in the air. "Are you just going to let him die?"

"If you would ever think about anyone but yourself Potter, you would have learned Occlumency and thus would not be having these visions." Snape said in a very controlled but angry voice. "Now we do not know when you are seeing what is really there or when The Dark Lord is making you see what he wants you to. I would have thought that you would have learned your lesson by now." With that Snape stalked out of the hallway and into a door on the right, which Harry assumed, was now being used for meetings.

"Professor Snape has a point Harry." Mr. Weasley said with a look of trepidation. "We will discuss this with the Order and contact Dumbledore. Just sit tight for now, no one wants anything bad to happen to Neville."

"Why don't you go upstairs Harry?" Mrs. Weasley chimed in. "Ron and Hermione are eager to see you and we can all discuss this after the meeting."

Harry nodded and headed upstairs to find Ron and Hermione. He was still angry and as much as he wanted to hate Snape for what he had said, there was some validity to his statements. Harry had unnecessarily led a lot of people into the Department of Mysteries last year and had consequently helped contribute to Sirius' death. But Harry was tired of blaming himself for the actions of Voldemort. The one good thing that had come from his time at Privet Drive this summer was that he had a lot of time to think. Harry realized that it was Voldemort and not he who was responsible for Cedric's death, and it was Voldemort that was responsible for Sirius' death. If Harry was ever going to avenge the death of his godfather and countless numbers of people that Voldemort killed, he knew that he would have to stop feeling sorry for himself and start focusing on the task at hand. He would finish the job that he started when he was just an innocent baby.

As he neared the end of the hall, Harry heard voices that he knew to be his friends. He opened the last door on the right and found Ron, Hermione, and Ginny carrying on as usual. Ginny had apparently just hexed Ron because she and Hermione were pointing and laughing at him and Ron was shouting about how he would get her back. Harry could not help but laugh when he saw a horn growing out of the top of Ron's head.

"Oh quiet down Ron, quit being such a baby." Ginny said in a sarcastic tone that only served to fuel the fire that was obviously burning inside Ron. "Serves you right for grilling Hermione about my love life. Who I go out with is no concern of yours"

"I just wanted to make sure..." Ron tried to argue but was immediately cut off.

"Harry, you're here." Hermione yelled excitedly as she jolted across the room to embrace him in a hug.

"Hey mate." Ron turned and smiled at Harry and offered his hand for a shake.

"Uh hi Harry." Ginny said without making eye contact. She was turning a shade of red that was about the same color of her hair and was embarrassed about Harry stumbling upon a conversation about her love life. She hoped that he didn't notice.

"When did you arrive?" Hermione said. With a quick flick she had removed the horn from Ron's head and was trying to change the subject as quickly as possible to spare Ginny from any further embarrassment.

"There's not time for that right now" Harry spat out urgently. "I had a vision through my scar and I saw Neville. Voldemort has him and he is going to kill him if we don't act fast."

"Have you told the order Harry?" Hermione replied urgently as she rose to her feet.

"Yes but they said that they have to discuss and investigate it before they act because of what happened the last time with my vision of Sirius." Harry tried to explain.

"Well they really do have a point Harry." Hermione began. I told you that you should learn Occlumency so that you stop having these visions. We don't know whether it's real this time or if Voldemort is just trying to..."

But Harry didn't let her finish.

"I know that logically they are right Hermione, but I know that this is real." Harry responded. "It's not just a vision, I can feel Neville's pain and I have to do something about it." "If the Order does not act tonight, then I will"

This comment sent a shiver through the other three. Ron and Hermione exchanged a look of concern for their friend whose face showed nothing but pure determination. They both tried to find words that would explain to Harry what a dangerous proposition he was suggesting. But neither of them could speak and the room was silent until a voice spoke up from the corner.

"you can't go..."


	3. Strategic Planning

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
Fancyeyes- Thanks for the review and to answer your question, yes there will be more H/G.  
  
Nicoletta- Yea, I will probably throw in the occasional cliffy (some more evil than others). Keep up the good work on your story and thanks for reviewing.  
  
Chapter 3  
Strategic Planning  
  
"I won't let you go, without me." Came a softly spoken voice from the corner of the room. Harry literally did a double take upon seeing that the voice came from Ginny. He had expected Ron and Hermione to volunteer themselves to be at his side but he didn't expect it from Ginny. Harry starred at Ginny strictly and saw a look of ferocity in her eyes that rivaled his own. No one in the room knew quite what to say. Harry did not want to put any of his friends in danger but he knew that if he was going to get Neville back, then he was going to need their help.  
  
Harry glanced over at Ron and noticed that he had his mouth open as if tying to object to his sister's statement but instead he turned to Harry and said "If your going mate then we'll be there with you." Hermione nodded in turn but Harry could tell that she was not at all content with his decision and it was her voice that spoke up next.  
  
"Before we make any decisions Harry, we should wait and see what the Order has to say." Hermione said very authoritatively. "They may be planning a rescue mission for Neville right now."  
  
"Then we'll wait." Harry said "but if they are not planning to go tonight then I am. I don't expect you to put your lives on the line for me again, but I'll welcome your help. I thought a lot about it this summer, and I'm not going to sit back and let Voldemort harm another person that I care about. I hope you understand"  
  
With that Harry left the room and continued down the dark hallway. He hadn't meant to act so coldly towards his friends, but he couldn't ignore the screams of Neville that were continuously echoing through his mind. Harry approached the stairs, but instead of going down them he just sat there and began to think. If death eaters were guarding Neville, how would he get him back alive without getting himself or one of his friends injured or even killed. But, before he could come up with anything he felt a presence emerging from behind him. It was Ginny.  
  
"Hi," she said as she sat down next to him on the stairs. He had wanted to be alone so he could think clearly about what could be done but for some reason he didn't mind her being there. Something about having her next to him was soothing.  
  
Harry turned to her and said the thing that was most on his mind, "why did you agree to come with me so quickly?"  
  
"Because I believe you Harry, and I believe in you." Ginny replied with a very comforting tone. "I also don't want anything bad to happen to you" she added with a brief blush taking over her cheeks. "You saved my life in the Chamber of Secrets and I always thought that if there was a chance for me to return the favor than I would take it."  
  
Harry stared at Ginny for a long moment and tried to appreciate all that she had said. It was a great feeling to hear someone say that they were willing to put themselves in danger for your benefit. He respected her words and just by looking at her, he could tell that she truly meant it. Ginny was well on her way to becoming a very good witch and Harry knew that she would be a big help to him. Before he really even knew what he was doing, Harry leaned towards Ginny and whispered "Thank You" in her ear as he embraced her in a hug. But before Harry could even realize what he was doing, the world around him went black. All he could see around him was trees. He was walking along a familiar path until he came to a tiny clearing. There he saw Neville, shackled to a tree and surrounded by three death eaters. His eyes were barely open and Harry could see visible cuts and bruises all over his face and arms. Harry tried to call out to him, but realized that he couldn't use his voice. He approached the death eaters whose faces were covered by masks and began to speak to them in a voice that wasn't his.  
  
"Has there been any activity yet?" the man said.  
  
"No master, nothing," replied the dark wizard to the right of Neville. "Is it possible that Potter does not know about the abduction?"  
  
"He knows, he has seen everything. I can feel his eyes on us as I speak to you now" Volemort hissed. Harry had by now realized that he was seeing all that was going on through the eyes of Voldemort but could not do anything about it.  
  
"What should we do now?" Another Death Eater asked.  
  
"Administer, the Crustaceous curse every hour." Voldemort replied in a satisfying tone. "His friend will not be able to hold on to his sanity much longer."  
  
"Crucio" two of the death eaters yelled. As the stream of their wands connected with Neville, Harry could feel the familiar burning sensation rip through his body. His eyes flew open in a flash and he saw Ginny staring at him with tears in her eyes.  
  
"There going to kill him" Ginny said, her voice trembling. "I could see everything"  
  
The fact that Ginny had to see that killed Harry, but he didn't have time to comfort her. He realized that he now knew where Neville was being held and they could not afford to waste much more time. "Get Ron and Hermione, I'm going into the meeting to speak to the Order." Harry ran down the stairs and gravitated towards a door on the left side of the room where he heard voices. He attempted to open the door but realized it was locked, his frustration began to boil up inside him and before he could even reach into his pocket to grab his wand the door flew open so strongly that it nearly came flying off its hinges.  
  
Harry looked around the room and saw many people that he knew including Tonks, Moody, Remus Lupin, and Bill and Charlie Weasley. He also noticed that Professors McGonagall and Snape were situated on a sort of makeshift stage in the back of the room clearly presiding over the events of the meeting.  
  
"What is the meaning of this Potter?" Professor Snape said in his usual antagonizing tone. Harry almost completely disregarded the potions professors' inquiry and made his way through the crowd to the stage where he could address the crowd.  
  
"Voldemort has Neville Longbottom," Harry began. "He is being tortured to the point of insanity." "I know that many of you served in the Order with Neville's parents and I ask that you don't let him suffer the same fate."  
  
"Potter" Professor McGonagall spoke up. "I know you feel like you need to rescue your friend, believe me I would never wish any of my students to go through that kind of pain. But we don't even know if Neville is missing. He went on holiday with his grandmother to America for the summer. We have people looking into it, but for all we know Neville could be fine. And on top of that, Dumbledore must be consulted before any action is taken.  
  
"Well where is he?" Harry was raising his voice now and was becoming visibly angry at the situation. Everyone was looking around at each other and not saying anything until Mrs. Weasley spoke up.  
  
"We don't know Harry dear." She said. "He would not tell us for our own safety. We have sent him an owl explaining to him that we need to speak to him urgently but have not heard back. Until we hear from him, it is not safe to act."  
  
Harry was about to argue his point but realized quickly that it would be futile. After the situation at the Department of Mysteries last year, no one would trust that what he was seeing was real, probably not even Dumbledore. He knew that he was going to have to accomplish this seemingly impossible task without the help of the Order. He had to go into the Forbidden Forest and rescue Neville right out from under a group of Death Eaters and worst of all, Voldemort knew he was coming.  
  
"Let me know as soon as you hear word from Dumbledore." Harry said angrily as he fled from the room. He heard his name being called from behind him as he hit the hallway but decided to ignore it. He couldn't waste time trying to convince people that he was right. He needed to focus on how they were going to get back Neville. He headed up the stairs to find his friends hoping that they would have some ideas.  
  
"I'm sure they'll have him guarded at all angles." Ron said. Harry had found Ron, Hermione and Ginny already discussing what could be done to save Neville. Ginny had apparently recounted the events of the vision that they had shared to Ron and Hermione and after Harry had told them that the Order said that they could not act yet, they had agreed that something had to be done. Ron was a master strategist when it came to chess and Hermione was the most brilliant person that Harry had ever met (with the exception of Dumbledore), so he was very certain that they would be able to help him come up with a suitable plan.  
  
"I think the best course of action would be for the four of us to make a sort of box around Neville. We can use the trees as cover and we can each fire disarming charms from different locations, that way they won't know which way we are coming from" Ron said trying to rally the others behind his idea.  
  
"It's a good plan Ron." Harry said. "But even in all the confusion there will most likely be too many of them to contend with. If we make it known that we are there, they will make sure that they keep him close. We need to surprise them and get ahold of Neville before they even know we are there."  
  
"I've got it!" Hermione said. "The invisibility cloak." A smile immediately broke over the faces of Harry, Ron and Ginny as soon as the words came out of Hermione's mouth.  
  
"You're brilliant Hermione." Ron said with a look of pride on his face. Hermione exchanged a quick glance and a smile with Ron as her face began to flush.  
  
"Of course." Harry said agreeing with Ron's assessment. "You three will spread out and fire spells from three different locations around Neville and I will sneak up and grab Neville under the invisibility cloak. I don't think Voldemort knows that I have it so that gives us the advantage."  
  
Everyone agreed on the plan and the next order of business was how they were going to get to the Forbidden Forest. "Well, we are going to have to fly because the fireplaces here are not hooked up to the Floo Network for security reasons." Ron explained.  
  
"Oh but Ron you know that I hate to fly," said Hermione with desperation "and I don't even have a broom."  
  
"Ron's right Hermione, it's the only way." Added Harry. "We will have to find you a broom. I'm sure there is an extra lying around here somewhere."  
  
"Uh tha, that's ok," mumbled Ron. "Hermione can ride with me." Ron looked at Hermione and gave her a comforting glance that apparently put her at ease.  
  
"Alright." She said confidently.  
  
"Then it's settled." Harry said as he glanced around the room at his three friends. "We'll set off at midnight." Everyone nodded in agreement and they decided that it would look better if they all went to their respective rooms until midnight when they would meet in the hallway. Hermione and Ginny were sharing the room that they were currently in while Harry and Ron would be bunking together across the hall. Harry and Ron left the two girls and walked into their room not saying a word to each other. Harry lay down on his bed and saw Ron do the same as he drifted off to thought about what they were about to do. What if Voldemort was just manipulating his mind again? What if Neville was fine and he was leading his friends into danger for no reason. But Harry quickly realized that he had to put those thoughts out of his mind. Voldemort had him, and they were going to get him back.  
  
Around ten minutes to midnight, Harry looked over at Ron to make sure that he was awake and found that his best mate's eyes were locked on him. They exchanged a brief nod and began to get ready in complete silence. They were both dressed all in black, with black robes. Harry grabbed his wand and put it in his pocket and he saw Ron do the same as they began to walk towards the door. Lastly, Harry grabbed his invisibility cloak from his trunk and opened the door to the hallway. There he saw Hermione and Ginny similarly dressed in black. They approached the usually creaky stairs and were stopped by Hermione before they could proceed.  
  
"Hold on." Hermione whispered as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her wand. "Silencio" she said casting on silencing charm on the stairs. Harry was very grateful to have Hermione with him, as she always seemed to have a charm for any occasion. They maneuvered their way down the stairs and approached the long hallway that led to the front door.  
  
"Alright everyone." Harry said quietly. "Let's go." But before they could, the front door opened right in front of them revealing the intimidating presence of the most powerful wizard in the world.  
  
Dumbledore was back.  
  
Authors Note: Well that's chapter 3 I hope you like it. Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate them. Chapter 4 should be up tomorrow. One minor note, I realized that I never really explained how Harry's trunk got back with them so I added something to chapter 2. In the next chapter, Harry and Dumbledore have a talk and the fate of Neville is finally revealed. 


	4. The Return

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
The Return  
  
The old, legendary wizard was dressed in tattered and torn dark gray robes that lacked any color, which would have been seen as odd to anyone who knew Dumbledore. He had some sort of sack with him that was attached to his back with a black strap the ran across his chest. He was also missing his tall wizards hat. Instead his hair was pulled back and locked into a ponytail of sorts. He was visibly exhausted. Harry could see that his eyes were bloodshot behind his broken glasses and had large bags under them. Harry could tell that wherever Dumbledore had been, he had gone through quite an ordeal. He stumbled through the door and into the hallway and quickly fell into the first chair that he saw. The four young wizards quickly ran to his side.  
  
"Professor, what is it?" Said Harry with panic. Ginny had quickly begun assessing the wounds on Dumbledore's face including a gash on his neck underneath his ear that looked like at had come from some sort of knife. His body had nearly gone limp when he had sunk down into the chair and his eyes where now closed. Harry didn't know what to do. Dumbledore hadn't even acknowledged the fact that they were in the room.  
  
"What do we do?" Ron shouted in Hermione's direction. Hermione was a brilliant witch and always seemed to have an answer to any problem, but it was clear that the state Dumbledore was in had shaken even her up. Her eyes were locked on Dumbledore and they had tears coming from them. She didn't even respond to Ron's question. But Ginny quickly took action.  
  
"Ron, go wake up Mum, quickly" Ginny shouted in his direction. "Hermione, go in the kitchen and get a wet towel." The two sprang to action quickly and were running in opposite directions to complete their tasks. "Harry, get a pillow from the couch." She added very calmly. Harry ran to the nearest couch and grabbed a large blue pillow from it. "Help me lay him down." She said to Harry as she put the pillow underneath his head. Harry looked at Ginny and was very relieved that she had acted so bravely and so swiftly. But, before he could elaborate on his thoughts, the house quickly sprang to life. There was noise coming from upstairs and a few seconds later Harry saw Ron emerge with his parents and Remus Lupin following closely behind him.  
  
"Oh My!" Mrs. Weasley screamed as she saw Dumbledore lying on the floor. She quickly flew to his side and grabbed the wet towel that Hermione had just brought from the kitchen. She started cleaning his wounds and turned quickly to Lupin. "Remus, you'll have to get to Hogwarts as quickly as possible. Bring back Madam Pomfrey and alert professors Snape and McGonagall." Before Mrs. Weasley could even finish her instructions to Lupin, he was out the door.  
  
"What happened?" Mr. Weasley said looking around at the visibly shaken adolescents. She directed her stare at Harry perhaps sensing that he could shed some light on the situation.  
  
"We don't know." Harry responded. "We were approaching the front door when all of a sudden it opened and Professor Dumbledore came through and collapsed into that chair. We didn't know what to do so we laid him down and Ginny immediately sent Ron to get you."  
  
"Arthur let's get him to a room." Mrs. Weasley said to her husband. Harry noticed that the Weasleys had not questioned why the four of them were sneaking out at this time of night and he was thankful, but realized that there were much more important things to worry about. Mr. Weasley had levitated Dumbledore's body and was bringing him up the stairs to an empty room.  
  
They got him into a bed and they all gathered around it each silently giving a separate plea to the universe to pull Dumbledore through. Harry could think of nothing but the trouble they would all be in without Dumbledore. He wondered if it was Voldemort that did this to him. He thought about going back to Hogwarts without the greatest headmaster to reside over its walls. He worried about how vulnerable all the people he cared about would be without Dumbledore. Then suddenly Madam Pomfrey flying through the door quickly snapped Harry out of his daydream.  
  
"Alright, everyone out." She said with confidence. No one even said a word and they all quickly filed out so that Madam Pomfrey could get to work on helping Dumbledore as quickly as possible. They all filed out into the hallway and Mrs. Weasley began to direct them down the stairs.  
  
"There's nothing we can do right now." She said. "Lets go downstairs and I'll fix some tea." They all nodded in agreement and headed down into the kitchen. They sat gathered around the table as Mrs. Weasley poured each one of them a cup of tea. Mr. Weasley and Lupin were talking to each other very quietly so that no one else could hear what they were saying. Professors McGonagall and Snape were now also here. They were standing in the corner of the kitchen away from everyone else having a very animated discussion and looked as though they may have even been shouting at times, but there seemed to be no sound coming from their mouths. Harry quickly realized that they must have put some sort of silencing charm over themselves so that no one else could here them.  
  
Harry noticed that Ron had ignored any fears he had about showing his affection for Hermione and had put his arm around her and was trying to comfort her as she sobbed lightly. Ginny sat next to Harry and he wanted to tell her that he thought she did a brilliant job of reacting to the dire situation that had presented itself but instead he locked eyes with her briefly and gave her as much of a smile as he could conjure up considering the events that he taken place. They all sat there like that for what seemed like a lifetime until Madam Pomfrey came through the doors into the kitchen. Everyone in the room leaped out of their chairs and started firing questions at her before she could get a word out.  
  
"Settle down, settle down" Madam Pomfrey said with a reassuring tone. "I have examined him thoroughly and except for a few scrapes and bruises, he is going to be alright. It seems that his collapse was due to extreme exhaustion. He'll need plenty of rest over the next couple of days, so I don't want anyone disturbing him." You could feel the air let out of everyone's chests as the news started to sink in that Dumbledore was be ok. Harry saw Mrs. Weasley pull Mr. Weasley into a very forceful embrace and he decided to follow suit. He turned to Ginny and hugged her very tightly. He could feel her heart begin to race and thought that she could probably feel his too. He released her and wanted to say something to her, but he wanted to choose his words carefully. But before he could Madam Pomfrey interrupted the celebration.  
  
"Mr. Potter." She said loudly. "Dumbledore wished to see you immediately." Harry wasted no time upon hearing this and quickly sped through the door and ran up the stairs to the room Dumbledore was in. The door was slightly open, but Harry knocked nonetheless.  
  
"Come in Harry." He said weakly. Harry could see that although he looked a little better after his visit with Madam Pomfrey, he would still have some recovering to do. His half moon spectacles were now fixed and his hair had been pulled down and was flowing all over the bed.  
  
"Thank god you're alright sir." Harry said as he approached Dumbledore. "How did this happen? Did you find Neville? Is he all right? Did you have a fight with Death Eaters? With Voldemort?  
  
"Slow down my dear boy." Dumbledore said calmly. "We have much to talk about." Harry grabbed a chair and pulled it next to Dumbledore as he continued. "Neville is just fine. I received word from him that he is still in America with his gran and is completely unharmed. Not to worry, the Death Eaters and Voldemort never had him.  
  
"But my scar, I could feel his pain. I was sure it was real this time." Harry said angrily. Dumbledore sat up in his bed now so that he could talk to Harry eye to eye.  
  
"I know Harry and this is why you must learn Occlumency. Voldemort is getting stronger and he is finding new ways to manipulate you through the connection that you have. I know that I have kept things from you over the years, things that you deserved to know, and I am greatly sorry for that. However, if were going to end up victorious over Voldemort, than we are going to have to trust each other completely."  
  
"I'm sorry sir." Harry said looking down to the ground as tears began to well up in his eyes.  
  
"There's no need for that." Dumbledore replied. "I know the loss of Sirius hurt you badly and that you couldn't bear to see one of your friends suffer, but we mustn't act in haste. You need to realize that what you almost did tonight could have resulted in horrible consequences. You could have walked straight into a trap." Harry began to verbally berate himself in his mind. How could he let his quest for vengeance against Voldemort cloud his mind again? He almost led the most important people in the world to him right into grave danger.  
  
"It just seemed so real." Harry said as he threw his hands over his face. "Damn him!" He shouted. "I let him manipulate me again. Why am I so stupid." Harry continued to rant and rave until a vase that was sitting on a table on the other side of the room flew up in the air and shattered against the wall. Harry was startled and Dumbledore took this opportunity to try and calm him down. He reached over and comfortingly placed his hand on Harry's shoulder.  
  
"You are becoming very powerful Harry and together we will be able to defeat Voldemort. But we must learn to trust each other completely. Nothing must be withheld. Any normal person in your position having seen a friend suffering would have reacted the same way. But we don't have the luxury of normalcy even by wizarding standards. You have to promise me Harry, that you will work hard in developing your magic especially when it comes to Occlumency and you will come to me immediately with any problems that you have." Harry nodded in agreement and began to repeat in his head the promise that he had made to himself. He was no longer going to let himself feel responsible for things that Voldemort had done. Neville was safe, his friends were safe and Dumbledore was going to be fine.  
  
"I'll do whatever is necessary." Harry said in a tone that would make Dumbledore know that he could trust him.  
  
"Very good Harry, very good." Dumbledore said as a smile broke over his lips. Harry could see that the headmaster was very tired and so he got up from the chair and made his way towards the door only to stop suddenly.  
  
"But, sir." Harry said curiously "You never told me what happened to you. How did you come to be in such bad shape?"  
  
"We'll talk again in a few days Harry." Dumbledore said quietly. "But now, I have some sleep to catch up on."  
  
Harry decided that he wouldn't probe the headmaster with any more questions right now. According to their new agreement, Dumbledore would most certainly fill Harry in on everything that had happened to him. He turned around and headed for the door.  
  
"Good night sir." Harry said as he was leaving.  
  
"Good night Harry." Dumbledore said. "And by the way," he added as Harry turned towards him, "Happy Birthday."  
  
Authors note: I hope you liked chapter 4. Chapter 5 will either be up tomorrow or Wednesday. In the next chapter, Harry finally gets to have a real birthday party. Please continue to read and review. Thanks 


	5. The Party

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
The Party  
  
It's funny how such an important day can completely slip the mind of a person, but with his visions of Neville and the return of Dumbledore Harry had forgotten about his own birthday. He was now sixteen years old, although with the amount of things that he had to deal with at such a young age he felt more like thirty. After his meeting with Dumbledore Harry had gone downstairs to a barrage of questions. Everyone wanted to know if Dumbledore had explained where he had been. Harry relayed that Dumbledore told him that Neville was fine and that the Death Eaters never had him. Thankfully, before he went into any more details about their conversation Mrs. Weasley, realizing Harry's apprehension for these questions, stepped in and ordered everyone to bed as it was already about 2:30 in the morning. Everyone went to their respective rooms and Harry drifted off to sleep peacefully.  
  
Harry awoke suddenly to a strange and alarming sound ripping through the room. His first instinct was to grab his wand and pounce out of the bed. But then he had to chuckle when he realized that the sound of a chainsaw tearing through his room was merely Ron's snoring.  
  
"Shut it." Harry said as he tossed his pillow at Ron. But Ron did not wake up and so Harry took matters into his own hands. "Silencio." He said pointing his wand in Ron's direction. Immediately the sound was vanquished and Harry was left in an almost eerie silence. It was actually kind of nice, he reasoned, to wake up in the middle of the night because of snoring rather than a nightmare. But he recognized that he was not going to be able to fall asleep again quickly so Harry got up, put on his robe and went down the stairs to have a cup of tea.  
  
As Harry approached the door he saw that the light in the kitchen was already on. He swung the door opened and saw Ginny sitting at the kitchen table alone having a cup of tea herself. She really had become quite striking Harry thought to himself. She was no longer the little girl that once stuck her elbow in a butter dish at the sight of him. Her red hair flowed to the middle of her back and she resembled a woman much more than a girl. She smiled at him as he walked through the door, which made his stomach turn in a way that took him by surprise.  
  
"What are you doing up?" Harry said as he returned the smile.  
  
"Hermione snores." She responded as she got up to grab Harry a cup and began filling it with tea. "Why are you up?" She said with a suddenly alarming tone in her voice. "You didn't have another nightmare did you?" Harry could see that she was terribly concerned and so he calmed her fears immediately.  
  
"No, no nothing like that." He said as he patted her hand briefly with his. "Ron snores too." As if on cue, they both looked at each other and burst out laughing.  
  
"They really are meant for each other aren't they?" Ginny said.  
  
"So you can see it too." Harry added. It had begun to occur to him over the course of the last few years that Ron and Hermione had something beyond friendship between them. Although neither of them would openly admit to it.  
  
"It's painfully obvious isn't it?" Ginny continued. "Ron is to daft to tell her how he feels and I think Hermione is too shy, but did you see him put his arm around her yesterday?"  
  
"Yea" he responded. "Maybe there is hope for them after all."  
  
They continued sitting there and talking for a while. Harry told her about how her father had put his Uncle Vernon in his place when he had come to pick him up. Ginny told Harry about how she was nervous about having to take her OWL's this year and Harry told her that she shouldn't worry because they would all help her. They discussed who would be the new Defense of the Dark Arts teacher and who would be made the new Head boy and girl. The conversation never stopped and Harry thought to himself that he had never enjoyed talking to anyone as much in his life.  
  
"We need to get to bed." Ginny interrupted as Harry was telling her the story about Dudley and the Ton Tongue Toffee's that she had heard about a million times but never got tired of. "The sun is coming up and you have a big day ahead of you." Harry smiled thinking that he was finally going to be able to spend his birthday with the people that he cared about. Ginny rose from her seat, gathered the cups and flung them into the sink.  
  
"Your right." Harry said as he saw light creeping underneath the kitchen door. He moved towards the door with Ginny following closely behind and put his hand on it to open it when he quickly stopped and Ginny ran right into him and stumbled to the floor.  
  
"Sorry." Harry said as he reached his hand down to hers to help her up from the ground. Ginny was blushing violently and Harry realized that he had failed to let go of her hand after he had helped her up. "Uh, sorry." He said again as he quickly dropped her hand and turned a shade of red even deeper than her hair. "I just wanted to say thank you. For ah, you know believing in me."  
  
"Your welcome." She said smiling up at him. They didn't say another word as they made their way up the stairs to their rooms. They each opened their respective doors and gave each other a final glance before retiring inside. It was now almost 6 in the morning and Harry knew that he would probably be woken up early for a special birthday breakfast made by Mrs. Weasley. But, he didn't care. He would enjoy the few hours of sleep that he would get with visions of one person in his mind, and it wasn't Voldemort.  
  
"Wake up Harry, come on wake up, its your birthday." Ron yelled as he continued to shake Harry until he broke out of his sleep.  
  
"Alright, alright I'm up." Harry responded drearily. It had been a nice dream that he was having and he felt like cursing Ron for waking him. "What time is it?" Said Harry while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.  
  
"It's about 9:30." Ron replied. "Mum is going to start breakfast as soon as the twins arrive so we should hurry." Ron was putting on a robe to wear down to breakfast and he threw Harry one to put on as well.  
  
"Slow down Ron, I didn't get hardly any sleep last night." Harry said. "It's going to take me a moment to wake up."  
  
"Why didn't you get any sleep?" Ron said in the same concerned tone as Ginny the previous night. "Did you have another nightmare?"  
  
"Yea." Harry replied. "There was a lawnmower shaped like your head chasing my around the house." Ron had a puzzled look on his face that made Harry realize that he didn't get his joke.  
  
"A what-mower?" Ron asked.  
  
"Oh never mind, I'm fine." Harry said with a smile. Ron really hadn't understood what Harry was talking about but conceded the fact that he was all right.  
  
"Is everyone decent?" Hermione yelled from outside the door as she knocked.  
  
"Yea, come on in." Harry responded. She opened the door and Harry could have sworn he saw a brief smile exchange between his two best friends but he wasn't completely sure.  
  
"Happy Birthday Harry." Hermione said as she grabbed Harry into a hug.  
  
"Thanks" He replied. "I can't believe I actually get to have a proper birthday without the Dursleys."  
  
"Well, it won't be completely without them, after all they did send you a present." Hermione said with a grin.  
  
"Oh yea, what did they send me an old dirty sock." Harry laughed as he remembered some of the memorable presents he had received from his relatives.  
  
"No, it was a box of matches. Honestly, what did they think you would do with a box of matches?" Hermione said.  
  
"They probably hoped I would light myself on fire." Harry replied.  
  
"Well mate, no need to worry about them today." Ron added. "Mum and Dad have invited a lot of people over, it should be a great party."  
  
"I can't wait." Harry said happily knowing that nothing would be able to spoil this birthday.  
  
"So Harry." Hermione said trying to slyly change the subject. "What did go on with Dumbledore last night?"  
  
"Nothing really more than I told you last night." Harry began. "He told me that Neville was fine and that I really needed to work hard on my Occlumency so that this would not happen again."  
  
"I told you Harry." Hermione began to ramble. "Dumbledore and the other professors know what is right we must listen to wh-."  
  
"I know Hermione." Harry interrupted. "Of course your right and from now on we must not keep anything from each other or from Dumbledore." They both shook their head and Hermione seemed satisfied that Harry had learned his lesson. "I also wanted to thank you two and apologize. I shouldn't have put you guys through that last night, it was stupid. And there aren't many people who would stand by there friends the way that you three did."  
  
"Don't worry about it mate." Ron replied. "I think we're all getting a little used to danger by now." They all looked at each other and smiled and Harry realized how truly lucky he was to have the two of them as friends.  
  
"So ah where is Ginny." Harry said trying to act as nonchalant as possible. He could feel his cheeks begin to burn just from saying her name but he was hoping that they didn't notice. Especially Ron.  
  
"She's still asleep I expect." Hermione said harshly. "I had an awful time trying to wake her up, she kept muttering something about not getting any sleep last night and when I continued to try and wake her she pulled out her wand and zapped a couple of tusks on my head. Luckily I had a book of charms next to my bed that had the counter curse so I was able to get rid of them right away."  
  
"She's getting to good with those hexes." Ron said while shaking his head. "It's not good to be frightened of your baby sister." Ron was right Harry thought. Ginny was taking after the twins in that regard. You sure as hell didn't want to be on her bad side.  
  
All of a sudden a scream came radiating from downstairs all the way up to their room. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH, FRED, GEORGE, HOW COULD YOU SCARE YOUR MOTHER LIKE THAT.  
  
"Well, it seems as though the twins have arrived." Ron said with a smile and they all began to run for the stairs so they could see what had happened. Apparently the high-pitched scream had woken Ginny from her slumber because she was now following them down the stairs. When they got to the kitchen they saw Mrs. Weasley up on top of the table and Fred and George running around the kitchen chasing after rats. It seems that Fred and George had snuck in and transfigured all of Mrs. Weasleys cooking utensils into rats because they were now chasing them around trying to change them back. Harry and Ron began to help Fred and George round them up as Hermione and Ginny joined Mrs. Weasley on the table and they were able to get them all back to normal in no time.  
  
"Thanks Harry." Fred said. "Just our little way of saying Happy Birthday." George added. Well there was one thing you could say about the twins Harry thought, they know how to make an entrance.  
  
The rest of breakfast went off without a hitch and Mrs. Weasley informed them that everyone would be coming around 3:00 p.m. for Harry's birthday party. So they all got cleaned up and went to the front room to relax before any of the guests arrived. Harry and Ron sat down for a game of wizard's chess while Hermione was messing around with Ginny's hair trying to put it into some sort of braid. The twins were sitting on a couch on the other side of the room apparently going over some sales numbers of their newly opened joke shop.  
  
"So, how's business" Harry addressed the twins as Ron was taking an unusually long time to make his next move.  
  
"Great Harry, and were sure business will pick up even more when Hogwarts is back in session." George said with a smile. "We've actually moved out of the Burrow and into our own apartment in Diagon Alley." Fred chimed in.  
  
"That's great." Harry said thankful that the money he won from the Triwizard Tournament had been used for a good cause.  
  
"Check" Ron said as he finally made his move. Harry could see from looking at the board that he was dead. He made a quick move to get his king out of check. But Ron had anticipated this move and quickly hollered "Check Mate" as fired his knight at Harry's king.  
  
"You really had me thinking that time." Ron said.  
  
"Yea, well I'll beat you some day." Harry responded although he didn't really mean it. It would take some kind of miracle for him to be able to beat Ron. Just then the clock began to chime signaling that it was indeed 3:00 and people would soon be arriving for Harry's Party. The door opened and closed a significant amount of time although Harry had not seen who had come in because Mrs. Weasley had instructed her children to keep Harry in the front room until all the guests had arrived and the kitchen was properly decorated for the party. At about 3:30 Mrs. Weasley yelled for them to bring Harry into the kitchen.  
  
"Alright were ready." She said. Harry was very excited, as he had never had so many people making a fuss over him before. They opened up the door and everyone began to yell.  
  
"Happy Birthday!" Said a chorus of people in unison. Harry saw that there were more people there than he ever would have dreamed. Professor McGonagall and Hagrid had come along with Remus Lupin, Mad-Eyed Moody and Tonks. Also Seamus, Dean, and Colin and Dennis Creevy were there along with Luna Lovegood. Harry also noticed that Bill and Charlie Weasley had come but Percy was absent. Harry had not asked Ron what was going on between Percy and his family. He thought that if Ron had wanted to talk about then he would and he would not pry for the time being.  
  
They all talked, and many people were coming up to Harry and asking how he was doing including Mad-Eyed Moody who was grilling Harry about how his uncle had treated him over the summer. All in all it was a great birthday. Everyone sang "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" and he received a lot of great presents. Hermione had given him an enchanted calendar that would yell at him in her voice when an important date was coming up. Ron, Fred, and George had all gone in and gotten him a new set of Quidditch pads and gloves in Gryffindor colors. Professor McGonagall gave him a book on Transfiguration along with a note attached telling him that he was reinstated onto the house Quidditch team. Colin and Dennis gave him a scrapbook of pictures that were taken of the previous year. Hagrid gave him a book of magical creatures that he said would help him prepare for his Newts and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley gave Harry a new jumper that Mrs. Weasley no doubt made herself. He also received a holster for his wand that would attach to his belt from Lupin and a full set of Quidditch balls from Bill and Charlie. Seamus and Dean got him a book called Hogwarts Greatest Quidditch Players and Luna gave him a years subscription to the Quibbler. But his favorite present had been from Ginny. She had gotten him something called a dream catcher. It was something that American Indians made. It was made of three wooden circles that were attached together and had feathers and chimes attached to it. Ginny told him that it was an ancient form of magic that would rid him of bad dreams if he attached it to his bed. He thanked her and everyone else and was just about ready to dig into his cake when Professor McGonagall came up to him.  
  
"You have one more present Harry." She said with a very serious tone. "Professor Dumbledore is expecting you upstairs."  
  
They were all under strict orders from Madam Pomfrey not to disturb Dumbledore so they had all kept their distance from his room so that he could get some rest. When he approached the room, he heard the sound of a harp playing a soft soothing tune.  
  
"Ah yes Harry come in." Dumbledore said as Harry entered the room. "Surely you didn't think that I would forget your birthday."  
  
"Well no of course not." Harry responded. "I just thought that in your condition you wouldn't be up for having any visitors."  
  
"Nonsense." Dumbledore said. "I am an old wizard Harry, but I am still up for more challenges than many people give me credit for." Harry thought that this was probably true. You would certainly not be wise to underestimate Albus Dumbledore. "Now." Dumbledore said. "On with your present. Please hand me that satchel over there on the chair. Harry reached over and picked up the satchel and noticed that there was something fairly heavy inside. He handed it to Dumbledore and sat down in a chair right next to his bed.  
  
Dumbledore opened it up and pulled out a long spear with a tip that was made of solid gold. "Happy Birthday Harry." He said as he handed it to him. Harry held it in his hands and didn't know quite what to say. Sensing this Dumbledore leaned over and whispered, "As I told you before, we have a lot to talk about."  
  
Authors note: I'm taking a little break for the holiday so Chapter 6 probably wont be up until at least Monday. The chapters are going to be getting a little longer from now on as the story starts to progress. I look forward to your reviews. I hope everyone has a happy holiday. In the next Chapter the Trio gets the results of their OWL's, Dumbledore finally tells Harry everything, and they get ready to go back to Hogwarts. 


	6. Dumbledore's Journey

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
Chapter 6  
Dumbledore's Journey  
  
Harry looked over at Dumbledore and saw him grinning as he examined the spear. It was heavy, but Harry could easily manipulate it with one hand. The shaft was made of hard, cold steel and there was a significant amount of writing visible, although it was some sort of ancient writing that Harry had never seen before. Harry could tell that the tip was made of solid gold and was very sharp.  
  
"Excuse me sir," Harry said slowly. "What is it?"  
  
"It is a spear Harry." Dumbledore said chuckling. Anyone who knew Dumbledore personally had encountered his unusual sense of humor at least once. Although Harry was a little annoyed about the sarcasm, he thought to himself that it was good to see Dumbledore joking around again.  
  
"I know it's a spear." Harry continued. "But why are you giving it to me?" Dumbledore looked at Harry very intently now as if he was going to tell him something very important and needed to choose his words wisely.  
  
"This Harry is the Spear of Isis." Dumbledore said. He obviously thought that Harry would know what the Spear of Isis was, but Harry had no idea.  
  
"I'm sorry professor, but what is the Spear of Isis." Harry replied with an embarrassed tone. It was obviously an object that many people knew about.  
  
"Well, my dear boy," Dumbledore said with a smile. "It appears that I will have to start at the beginning." "You see Harry, Osiris was an ancient Egyptian wizard and king who was obsessed with the ideas of immortality. Much like Voldemort he found ways to preserve his life through different potions and spells. He wanted to remain the leader of his people for years to come. However, he had a brother named Nephthys who craved the power that Osiris had and was horribly jealous. Nephthys was becoming terribly old and saw that his brother hadn't aged a bit. So Nephthys started experimenting with magic to find a way to kill his brother. He knew Osiris was nearly impenetrable but after years of working he crafted a spear that could kill his brother. All he needed was some of his brother's blood. So in the middle of the night, he crept in and cut Osiris right below his ear. Osiris woke up very confused and disoriented which allowed Nephthys to escape with his blood sample without being detected."  
  
"But how did Nephthys make the spear?" Harry interrupted. "What I mean is, how did he know that his creation would truly work?"  
  
"No one knows for sure Harry." Dumbledore replied. "But what is known is that blood is very powerful in producing magic. You know from your own experience that your aunt's blood has protected you at Privet Drive all these years."  
  
"So did it work?" Harry said now very intrigued.  
  
"It did indeed." Dumbledore added. "Nephthys cut himself with the spear in the same spot as he did his brother and combined the blood samples. He covered the tip of the spear in blood and found his brother in his throne room. Osiris was not expecting his brother to cause him any harm so when Nephthys lunged at him with the spear he was caught quite off guard. Nephthys plunged the spear into Osiris' heart as he muttered these words that you see here on the base. Osiris was dead and Nephthys knew that when his body was discovered he would become the new king. But something went wrong. As he stood over his dead brother spear in hand their sister Isis came into the thrown room. She immediately understood what had happened and called for the guards. Nephthys dropped the spear and quickly fled. He evaded the guards and was never heard of again. As the legend went, Isis kept the spear hoping that Nephthys would be found and that she could avenge Osiris' death by killing him with the same spear. But she never got her chance and she was buried with the spear in a tomb in Egypt."  
  
Very quickly, Harry realized how important this object was that he held in his hand. He jumped out of his seat and started hurling questions at Dumbledore very excitedly. "This is the spear that was buried with Isis?" Harry yelled. "But how did you get it? Are you sure this is it? Where did you find it?"  
  
"Calm down, Harry calm down." Dumbledore said while motioning for him to sit back down. "I will explain. About a month ago Bill Weasley heard from some friends that he had in Egypt who are sort of like magical archeologist that they had potentially found the Temple of Osiris. His friend went on to tell him that they thought they had found the legendary Spear of Isis and would be holding it under heavy guard until they came back to England. Bill informed me immedialty of course and I had a meeting with the Order where I told them that there was a possibility that we could find the Spear of Isis. Naturally everyone was very excited about this because if the legends are true than this could be very helpful against Voldemort. As planned, I set out the next day for Egypt and headed towards the excavation site that Bill told me about. I saw a tent with no less than ten guards out front and I knew that the spear was in there. I wont bore you with all the details about how I got past the guards but it was nothing more than a simple sleeping spell. So I entered the tent and after breaking a few enchantments that were covering the spear, I had it in my hands."  
  
"Well it seems like you took care of things rather easily." Harry said with a smile.  
  
"You should know Harry," Dumbledore said with a very solemn look on his face, "that things are rarely that easy." "As I walked out of the tent I was surrounded on all sides by death eaters. They began firing curses at me and I was trying to apparate while deflecting their curses. I couldn't concentrate enough to apparate a long distance because of the constant blocking I was doing, however I was able to apparate a little ways down the road so I was no longer surrounded. They tracked me for days on end Harry. I was able to get away from them but I was still scared that if I tried to apparate away that I would get myself splinched because I had gone without sleep or food for a while and I was very exhausted. But I soon realized that they would not stop their pursuits of me and if I didn't get away soon then I would surely die. So I used every bit of magic and concentration that I had left in my body and I focused on Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Then, the next thing I remember is waking up in a bed here.  
  
"That's amazing professor." Harry said. "So do you think that we are going to be able to use it against Voldemort?"  
  
"Yes Harry, I believe that we will be able to." Dumbledore replied. "But there is a more immediate issue that needs some attention. The death eaters were waiting for me Harry. They knew that I would be there, which means that there is a traitor in the Order. Only the Order knew of my mission and someone informed Voldemort. Right now, I'm sure Voldemort has been made aware that I returned and probably assumes that I was able to bring the spear back with me. But he won't know where the spear is because only you and I will know." With that, Dumbledore raised his wand and while saying something that Harry couldn't hear, he transfigured the spear into a necklace with a lion on the end. "Wear this at all times Harry. Never let it out of your site. The time will come when we must use the spear to draw Voldemort's blood. If that time should come unexpectedly than you should know that the incantation to change the necklace back into a spear is Isis Changeum. For now, you must not make any mention of the spear. Not to your friends you trust the most, nor to your teachers you respect the most. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes." Harry said shaking his head. He felt honored that Dumbledore was trusting him with this kind of information, but he was also a little apprehensive. It would be hard to keep things from the people who he cared about, but he would do it for their own good.  
  
"Now then." Dumbledore continued. "Why don't you go back downstairs and enjoy the rest of your party and we will talk again soon."  
  
"OK sir." Harry said as he turned around and exited the room. The information was a little overwhelming but the fact remained that they might now finally have a way to eliminate Voldemort for good and that information was worth more than all the galleons in Gringotts.  
  
Harry rejoined his party and after deflecting many questions about his conversations with Dumbledore, he found Hermione, Ron and Ginny sitting together in the corner of the front room. Ron and Hermione were playing chess and Ginny was sitting by herself on the couch reading the Daily Prophet.  
  
"Hey mate." Ron said as Harry approached. "So, how did it go with Dumbledore?"  
  
"It went fine." Harry said shrugging. "He game me this necklace and told me a story about it coming from Godric Gryffindor himself." Harry hated lying to his friends but he knew that he needed a way to explain why he was upstairs speaking to Dumbledore for so long.  
  
"Wow." Ron said as he surveyed Harry's necklace. Harry quickly realized that he should have made up a different story because now Ron would go on and on about him having something that belonged to Godric Gryffindor.  
  
"Well." Hermione said directing Harry's attention towards her. "While you were upstairs Mrs. Weasley went back to the Burrow to fetch something and found that all three of our OWL results had been sent there. She brought them back with her. Here you go." She said as she flipped Harry his letter. "We were waiting for you to come down so that we could all open them together."  
  
"Her idea." Ron said pointing at Hermione. "I wanted to just rip it open and get this nightmare over with."  
  
"Oh come on now Ron." Harry said. "I won't be as bad as that." Ron nodded wearily and together the three of them ripped open their envelopes.  
  
Mr. Harry James Potter,  
  
Below are the results of your Ordinary Wizarding Level Exams. You earned the following:  
  
Charms- Exceeds Expectations 2  
  
Transfiguration- Exceeds Expectations 2  
  
Herbology- Meets Expectations 1  
  
DADA- Outstanding 3  
  
Potions- Exceeds Expectations 2  
  
Care of Magical Creatures- Exceeds Expectations 2  
  
Astronomy- Fail 0  
  
Divination- Fail 0  
  
Total- 12  
  
Sincerely  
  
Griselda Marchbanks Wizarding Examinations Authority  
  
Well considering the scene that took place during Astronomy, it was not a surprise that he failed that one and he had never really cared much for Divination so Harry felt quite pleased with his results. Twelve Owl's equaled the number the Percy had received and Harry knew that it was quite an accomplishment. The DA had certainly helped him with charms and especially Defense against the Dark Arts.  
  
"So, how did you do?" Harry said looking at Ron first. He knew that Hermione was probably not happy because her eyes had not moved from the letter at all.  
  
"I can't believe it Harry." Ron said looking up with a smile. "I got 11."  
  
"That's great." Harry said returning the smile.  
  
"What about you?" Ron added.  
  
"I got 12." Harry replied. "I got an outstanding in Defense against the Dark Arts for producing a Patronus so that helped my score."  
  
"You're not going to believe it Harry." Ron said. "But some how I got Exceeds Expectations in Divination."  
  
"Well Ron, Maybe you have the ability to be a great seer and you don't even no it." Harry said. The two friends looked at each other and started laughing until they both realized that they hadn't found out how Hermione's results came out.  
  
"Hermione," Ron said as he approached her very cautiously. "How did you do?"  
  
"It seems," she said with an angry glare in her eyes, "that I failed astronomy. I mean can you believe that they are going to hold us to those scores after all that happened during that exam. I have never failed an exam in my life and I do not intend to start now. I need to contact the Wizarding Examinations Authority immediately, this is an outrage."  
  
Harry could tell that Hermione had probably not even looked at the rest of her grades and had instead gone into shock upon seeing the word fail on her letter. Ron sensed this also, and so he went over to her, gently took the letter out of her hand and studied it.  
  
'Hermione, you got 16 OWL'S." Ron yelled with a look of pride on his face. "I have never heard of anyone getting that many ever." This proclamation quickly snapped her out of her depression.  
  
"I did?" she said as she ran over to Ron and grabbed the letter out of his hand. "Well, perhaps I can contact the Authorities about Astronomy, right now I need to contact my parents." With that she ran out of the room quickly only pausing briefly to give Ron a quick kiss on the cheek as she passed.  
  
"Well uh we should uh go tell mum about our results." Ron said to Harry trying to hide his embarrassment about getting a kiss in front of his best mate.  
  
"Alright then." Harry said with a big smile on his face that let Ron know that he would tease him about the kiss later.  
  
"Oh shut up Harry." Ron said as they walked to the kitchen to find Mrs. Weasley. But before they could find her she emerged from the stairs.  
  
"Well boys, I just saw Hermione go up the stairs to find an owl so she could send word to her parents about her great results, so," she said with a serious look on her face, "how did you to do?"  
  
"Great mum," Ron said. A large smile immediately broke over Mrs. Weasley's face. "I got 11 and Harry got 12."  
  
"That's wonderful." she said as she pulled both of them into a huge hug. "I'm going to make a big dinner and a cake to top it off." The next thing they knew she had set out for the kitchen ready to get to work.  
  
"I don't think I've ever had two cakes in the same day." Harry said turning to Ron.  
  
"Mum likes to express her happiness by baking." Ron replied.  
  
"Believe me, I'm not complaining." Harry added. "With the Dursley's I was lucky to get two slices of bread in a day."  
  
"That's true." Ron said. "Hey lets go find Fred and George and let them know how we did."  
  
"Alright." He replied. Harry couldn't help thinking that he was going to really enjoy the rest of the summer. He was with all the people that he cared about and he had nothing to worry about. Well, he thought to himself as he looked down at the necklace that he wore, he had almost nothing to worry about.  
  
Author's note: There's chapter 6. It was originally going to be twice as long but I decided to split it up into 2 chapters so that I could post something before New years. In the next chapter the kids enjoy the rest of their summer and get ready to go back to Hogwarts. 


	7. Another Warning

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
Chapter 7  
Another Warning  
  
The dinner that Mrs. Weasley made in celebration of their OWL results was the perfect end to a great day. Mrs. Weasley made a great big fuss over Ron, Harry, and Hermione. She commented about how she knew that Ron would make her proud and how she hopped Ginny would be able to do as well as him. Harry felt very happy for Ron when he heard Mrs. Weasley saying these things. Ron was always being compared to his older brothers and Harry knew that he felt like he could never live up to their legacies. But Ron was certainly leaving a legacy of his own. He was a prefect, the keeper on the quidditch team, and had shown that he had a lot more smarts than most people gave him credit for.  
  
After dinner, Harry thought that they could all use some relaxation so he suggested to Ron, Ginny, and Hermione that they go into the front room.  
  
"That sounds like a splendid idea." Hermione said. "I expect that we could all use some time to wind down after a day like this."  
  
"How about a game of chess Harry?" Ron said. Harry could tell that he was very eager for him to say yes. Ron never got tired of beating him.  
  
"Sure." Harry responded. That sat down in front of the board and began to play as Hermione and Ginny took a place on the couch behind them.  
  
"I can't wait to hear what my parents response when they find out about our OWL results." Hermione stated. "Although it was a bit hard explaining to them what the grades all mean."  
  
"I'm sure you found a way." Ron said with a sarcastic smile. Hermione gave him a similar smile back and then stuck out her tongue at him. The rest of the night went by with the conversation staying about the same. They talked about how happy they were with their OWL results and Ginny told Ron that she hopes that she does as well as him which put a smile on his face that couldn't have been taken off with a knife. They continued to play for a while, and the girls started to talk amongst themselves. But Harry was finding it hard to concentrate on chess.  
  
"Checkmate." Ron yelled excitedly. "That's three mate, how about one more game?"  
  
"No thanks Ron," Harry responded. "I think I've had enough beatings for one night. Besides, I think I'm going to go to bed. It's been a long day." It wasn't that late, but suddenly Harry felt as though he wanted to be alone. He was happy that Ron and Hermione got to share their OWL results with their families, but listening to them made him realize that he didn't have any family to share his results with. Sirius was the closest thing that he ever had to family and now he was gone.  
  
"Are you sure Harry?" Ginny said with a smile as if sensing that Harry had more on his mind than he was leading on.  
  
"Yea, I'll see you in the morning." He responded as he headed up to bed. He laid there in bed for quite a while thinking about how nice it would have been if he could have shared his OWL results with his parents and Sirius. A few tears welled up in his eyes as he contemplated this and suddenly things came into perspective again. He had the spear now and he would be able to avenge the deaths of his parents and Sirius. They gave up their life for him and he wanted to prove that he was worth it. With that, Harry drifted off to sleep trying to think of ways that he could improve his skills. The prophecy said that he would either have to kill or be killed, and he had no intention of giving Voldemort the satisfaction.  
  
The next day, Harry shared some of his thoughts with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. He told them that he planned to start the DA again and that he wanted to make it more intense than ever. They all agreed that it was a good idea and didn't even complain that much when Harry suggested they start practicing straight away. Mr. Weasley magically expanded one of the bedrooms in the house so that they had ample room and they started practicing different hexes and defense mechanisms for a couple of hours a day. Occasionally, a teacher would drop in and teach them something new, which really excited Hermione. After about a week, Harry went to check on Dumbledore and ask him if there were any particular spells that he could teach him but he was no where to be found. When he asked Mrs. Weasley about it, she said that he went back to Hogwarts to finish his recovery and prepare things for the new year. It was just like Dumbledore to disappear right under your nose.  
  
About three weeks into August, Remus Lupin dropped in while they were practicing a spell that would momentarily turn the persons eyes inside out so that they would be blinded. Hermione had found the spell in a book and suggested that they learn it. It only lasted for a few seconds, however when you're dueling a couple of seconds could mean everything.  
  
"Occhio Reverso." Ginny shouted as she pointed her wand at Ron. A flash hit him in the face and Harry saw his eyes roll back into his head for about five seconds and then go back to normal.  
  
"Well done Ginny." Lupin said with a big smile on his face. "I wasn't aware that you were practicing such advanced spells."  
  
"Hermione has a book on advanced spells and we are just going through it trying to pick out ones that could be helpful in a duel." Harry explained.  
  
"Have you learned any shield charms?" Remus asked.  
  
"Well we've done a few blocking spells," Hermione chimed in. "Nothing too complicated. They can only block fairly simple spells."  
  
"Well I have a good shield charm that you can use." Remus started to explain. "It can block many very powerful spells, but it takes a little more time to execute. What you do is take a rock and throw it out in front of you. Then you say Roccia Protecto, which will transfigure the rock into a massive wall in front of you. It will give you time to prepare a good spell because it will deflect almost any curse. Then when you are ready to fire a spell you tap the rock twice with your wand and it will go back to normal." Remus took a rock out of his pocket and demonstrated the spell for the four young wizards. He then told them to fire any curse they could think of at the barrier. They took turns trying to penetrate Lupin's wall but were all unsuccessful.  
  
"Thanks Professor Lupin." Ginny said. "I can see how this could come in handy in a lot of situations."  
  
"Yes well the key is to always keep a rock handy." He said while snatching up the rock from the floor and depositing it back in his pocket.  
  
"Are there any other spells that you can teach us today." Harry said hoping that there was. He had learned two spells today that could be very valuable in a duel and it was becoming a sort of addiction to him. Harry felt like he wanted to stay there all day and learn new things.  
  
"Actually," Lupin said. "I came up here to tell you that your Hogwarts letters have arrived. Here you go" He pulled the letters out of his back pocket and tossed them to the four students.  
  
Harry opened his and found that it was the same as the letter he got every other year. It explained what books he would need for this year and what time the train to Hogwarts would be leaving King's Cross Station on September 1st. There was also a note that all four years and above should bring dress robes because there would be a Yule Ball at Christmas. He skimmed over the books briefly and then noticed that there was a small note written at the bottom of his letter.  
  
Congratulations Mr. Potter, I have chosen you to be the new captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. You will need to hold tryouts the first week of school to fill in the missing positions.  
  
Sincerely Minerva McGonagall Assistant Headmistress  
  
"Ron." Harry said looking up with a smile on his face. "McGonagall sent a note. I'm the new Quidditch captain." Harry wasn't sure exactly how Ron would react since he knew that he always wanted to be quidditch captain but his fears were put to rest very quickly.  
  
"That's brilliant Harry." Ron shouted back. "Now we can run the team our way and we can come up with new plays and I've been thinking about a lot of new strategies that we can implement that is if it's all right with you since you are the captain."  
  
"Calm down Ron." Said Harry. "Of course I'll need your help with strategy but we have a more immediate problem that needs attention."  
  
"What's that?" Ron asked.  
  
"We have positions that need to be filled." Harry responded. "We have to replace three chasers."  
  
"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Ginny said as she pocked Harry in the ribs. "Since I no longer have to replace you at seeker, I think that it's only fair that I be moved to chaser."  
  
"Of course you'll be a chaser Ginny." Harry responded a little embarrassed that he had forgotten how well Ginny played when she replaced him last year. "Okay so we have me at seeker, Ron at Keeper, Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper at beater and Ginny at chaser. Which means that we will have to find two new chasers."  
  
"How about you Hermione," Ron said jokingly. "I think you'd make a brilliant chaser."  
  
"Very funny Ron." She said looking like she was not at all amused. "So, Ginny did you make prefect?" Harry looked at Ginny and noticed the badge in her hand. Hermione must have seen it and decided to help Ginny announce it.  
  
"Uh yea." She responded.  
  
"That's great." Ron responded as he got up to give her a hug. Hermione did the same and Harry wanted to follow suite but felt he didn't want to embarrass her.  
  
"Well done." Harry said as he grinned in her direction. She managed to thank him quickly with a flutter of her eyes and thankfully Ron spoke up before anyone could sense the awkwardness.  
  
"So, what are you going to get Ginny?" Ron asked. "You know Mum and Dad will get you something nice for being made prefect."  
  
"Well, I guess I'll ask for a new set of dress robes since there is going to be a Yule Ball this year." Ginny responded as she peeked over at Harry and began to blush a little.  
  
"That's a great idea Ginny." Hermione added. "I was thinking of getting a new set myself. Maybe we can go shopping together when we go to Diagon Alley to get our books."  
  
"That would be great." Ginny said with a huge grin. "Let's go tell my mum." Together the two girls ran down to tell Mrs. Weasley the good news. Ron and Harry stayed behind and continued to talk.  
  
"Another ball." Ron said while shaking his head.  
  
"Well this time, maybe we can ask the girls that we really want to go with and actually have a good time." Harry responded. Ron agreed with Harry but when on to say that he has no idea who he would like to go with.  
  
"Ok, whatever you say Ron." Harry was patronizing him a little now. "Why don't we go downstairs and join the girls. We can ask Hermione who she wants to go to the ball with when we get down there."  
  
"Why, do you think she has someone in mind?" Ron said with a depressed look.  
  
"Oy, Ron your such a prat. Let's go." Harry said as he and Ron went downstairs to join the others. Mrs. Weasley was very happy about Ginny's news and she told her that she would absolutely get her a new set of dress robes when they went to Diagon Alley. Hogwarts was starting in a week and Mrs. Weasley said that they would go to get their books and things in a couple of days. The four of them used the next couple of days to pack all of their things together and get ready for another year of school.  
  
When the day arrived, they all went to Diagon Alley in a car that Mr. Weasley borrowed from the ministry. They went to Gringotts to get some money to buy their books and as usual Harry tried to hide the contents of his vault from the rest of the Weasleys because he was a little embarrassed about having so much money that he never even earned. They all got their books, and Mrs. Weasley bought Ginny her new dress robes and they returned to Grimmauld Place to await their return to Hogwarts.  
  
"I've always heard that the sixth year at Hogwarts is always everyone's favorite year." Hermione said as they sat in the front room on the night before their return to school.  
  
"Whryy?" Ron said with a mouthful of cookie.  
  
"Honestly Ron could you be any more of a pig?" Hermione said. "The reason," she continued, "is because we are now some of the oldest students in the school and we don't have to worry about taking our OWL's or our Newts."  
  
"Well, I'm glad that you will be having so much fun." Ginny said apprehensively. "I'm going to have to deal with Quidditch, my prefect duties, and studying for my OWL's."  
  
"Don't worry about it." Harry said with a laugh. "If Ron could do it, than anyone can." They sat up and talked for a little while and the other three assured Ginny that she would be able to handle anything that came her way and then they all headed for bed. Harry fell asleep quickly knowing that a major chapter of his life was going to begin. Sometime this year he would surely face Voldemort, and when that time came he hoped he would be ready.  
  
The next morning, Mrs. Weasley woke them all up bright and early to get ready to go back to Hogwarts.  
  
"All right everyone get up, get up." She said in her most motherly voice. "I'll go down and start fixing breakfast and you all start bringing your things downstairs." The four of them brought their stuff downstairs and Mr. Weasley transfigured all their trunks to about the size of a peanut and stuck them in his pocket. Then they all drove to Kings Cross station and hurried along to Platform nine and three quarters.  
  
"Have a great year everyone." Mrs. Weasley said as she pulled them all into big hugs. "Ron watch out for your sister. We'll be coming to the first Quidditch match of the year so let us know." Mr. Weasley changed their trunks back to normal size as they said their final goodbyes and began to get on the Hogwarts Express.  
  
"Try to save us some seats Harry." Ron said as he Hermione and Ginny went to the front of the train to the prefects compartment.  
  
"We'll try to get back as soon as we can." Hermione added. Harry nodded to them and began to walk to the back of the train when he came upon a compartment that was empty except for one glassy eyed girl who was staring out the window.  
  
"Hi, Luna." Harry said as he began to walk into the compartment. "Do you mind if I come in."  
  
"Of course not." She replied. They actually had a pretty normal conversation as Luna told him about how she spent her break and they were soon joined by Neville who was fascinated by Harry's story of him being abducted. He thanked Harry about a million times for being willing to save him even though Harry repeatedly reminded him that he never actually needed saving. Harry reminded Neville that he would appreciate if he didn't bring up the situation again and Neville agreed with a nod. After about twenty minutes, Harry left Neville and Luna to try and find the food trolley when he ran into one of the people that he liked least in the world.  
  
"Well boys look who it is." Malfoy said to Crabbe and Goyle who were standing on either side of him, "Saint Potter."  
  
"I didn't think you would even show your face here this year," Harry said with a grin, "after your disgrace of a father went to Azkaban."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Malfoy said with a sadistic smile on his face. "It seems that the Dememtors left Azkaban last night and they took my father and some of the other accused with them. My poor father was kidnapped before he was able to prove his innocence."  
  
Harry new that Azkaban was not going to keep the death eaters there very long. Dumbledore always said that the Dementors were natural allies to Voldemort and it was only a matter of time until they went to his side. "Everyone knows what your father is Malfoy and he'll get his in the end, don't worry."  
  
Malfoy shrugged off Harry's comments and instead decided to go back on the offensive. "Look boys, Potter's wearing jewelry now." Malfoy said as he grabbed for Harry's lion necklace. Harry instinctually whipped out his wand and aimed it at Malfoy's head, but then Crabbe and Goyle had their wands trained on Harry. "Well Potter, it seems as though you're outnumbered." But, the next second Harry heard a voice yell for him to duck and he did just in time to see a pair of horns sprout out of Malfoy's head. He was too embarrassed to even attempt fighting back and he ended up ducking into a compartment quickly. Crabbe and Goyle were obviously scared that they would be next to receive a pair of horns because they ran away faster than Malfoy.  
  
"Thanks Gin." Harry said as he burst out laughing. "That might be even better than Malfoy the bouncing ferret."  
  
"No problem." Ginny replied as she joined in laughing. Together they walked back to the compartment and joined Luna and Neville. When Ron and Hermione finally joined them, Harry told them what Ginny did to Malfoy and explained to them the situation at Azkaban. Ron especially seemed to enjoy the description of Malfoy with horns.  
  
"Well, we knew that the death eaters wouldn't stay in Azkaban very long so it's not really a surprise." Hermione said with a preaching tone. "And Ginny, you really shouldn't go around hexing people in the corridor. You have to set an example, after all you are a prefect now."  
  
"That bloody git deserved it." Ron said with a look of satisfaction on his face.  
  
"Ron, language." Hermione jumped in scowling.  
  
"Sorry." He replied putting his head down momentarily. Harry and Ginny couldn't help but laugh at Ron apologizing for his language. Usually he would have started a fight with Hermione but it seemed he was trying to impress her a lot more lately.  
  
The rest of the trip went very quickly. Harry explained his plans for the DA to Neville and Luna and they both agreed that it was a good idea. Well Neville thought it was a good idea but Luna merely looked up from her copy of the Quibler that she was reading and nodded. Harry figured that from Luna that was a good enough endorsement. When they arrived at Hogwarts Ron, Hermione, and Ginny went to help the younger students while Harry rode in a carriage with Luna and Neville. The site of the thestrals made Harry a little queasy. The only things he could think of was his ride to the ministry on their backs last year, which started to bring up memories of Sirius. Thankfully, Neville asked him a question that diverted his thoughts.  
  
"So, Harry," he started. "Who do you think will be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Harry had not thought too much about this. After last year, anyone would be better than Umbridge.  
  
"I don't know Neville, hopefully someone who actually lets us practice magic." Harry replied. It didn't really matter to Harry who the teacher was because he knew that he would be having DA meetings that would let him get all the practice that he needed. Although, it would be nice, he thought, to have someone that could teach him new things so they didn't have to learn everything from a book.  
  
The carriages finally arrived at Hogwarts and Harry and Neville walked into the Great Hall and to the Gryffindor table as Luna floated towards the Ravenclaw table. Seamus and Dean were sitting at the other end of the table and Harry was going to go join them but then Ron, Hermione and Ginny approached the table. Ron and Hermione sat down across from Harry and Neville was sitting on one side of him while the other side was empty. Harry found himself hoping that Ginny would take that seat, but then he saw her going to speak to some of her fifth year classmates.  
  
"There's the new Dark Arts teacher." Ron said pointing to a man sitting to the left of Professor Dumbledore. He was a tall clean-shaven man with gray hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. He was probably similar to Dumbledore in age but the absence of glasses and his ponytail made him look much younger.  
  
"Who is he?" Harry said looking at Hermione. She was usually much more informed about things than Harry and Ron.  
  
"I don't know." She responded. "Don't worry about it now, the sorting is about to begin." Professor McGonagall led the first years to the front of the Great Hall and placed the sorting hat on a stool in front of them. Everyone was waiting in anticipation for it to speak except the first years that looked very confused about what was going on. And then the slit open, and the hat started its song.  
  
I welcome you one and all  
  
To another year  
  
I'll sort each student into a house  
  
And they'll no doubt receive a cheer  
  
But first I'll say just a few things  
  
That have been on my mind  
  
And I'd suggest you listen to me  
  
If you'll be so kind  
  
When Hogwarts school started up  
  
Many years ago  
  
The four houses worked together  
  
But little did we know  
  
That darker days were on the way  
  
Which would cause a split  
  
The four founders couldn't agree upon  
  
Where each student fit  
  
Slytherin wanted only those students  
  
Whose blood was completely pure  
  
While Ravenclaw seeked out the smart  
  
Whose minds were quick and sure  
  
Gyffindor wanted those kids  
  
Whose bravery shinned through  
  
While Hufflepuff she didn't care  
  
As long as they were true  
  
These differences caused a rift  
  
Which still exists today  
  
And if we don't resolve them  
  
A heavy price we will pay  
  
I warned you last year of the same  
  
And few took it to heart  
  
But I urge you all to listen now  
  
Everyone must do their part  
  
For war is knocking at our door  
  
And united we can win  
  
But if you ignore what's coming  
  
A reign of terror may begin  
  
So stand tall next to one another  
  
No matter what house you're from  
  
Cause it will take all different skills  
  
For us to overcome  
  
So now you all have heard my plea  
  
For the second straight year  
  
I'll start the sorting but remember  
  
Judgment day is near.  
  
The sorting hat received a round of applause that could be described as polite rather than exuberant. There was a few whispers about what it had said, but Harry could see that for the most part, people where completely ignoring the message that it gave. Professor McGonagall quickly quieted the crowd and started reading the names of first years to be sorted.  
  
"Baskin, Geovani"  
  
The boy had a fairly confident look on his face, which surprised Harry. Usually the students who go up to be sorted have a look of terror on their faces. But, the hat came down onto his head and then after a few seconds yelled out:  
  
"Slytherin."  
  
After that, Harry kind of went into a daze as he noticed the new Defense teacher looking at him. Harry looked back at him intently trying to figure out if he had ever seen him before but eventually decided that he hadn't. He reasoned that he was probably starring at him for the same reason that everyone else did, he was the boy who lived. The rest of the sorting went pretty quickly in Harry's mind after this. He clapped when everyone else clapped, but didn't really take notice of any of the new students. He continued in this daze until Dumbledore snapped him out of it.  
  
"Welcome to all our new students." He said as he stood up and raised his glass. Before we commence with dinner, I have a few announcements to make. For all the first years, the forbidden forest is off limits to anyone who wishes to see their second year, and let that serve as a reminder to everyone else as well. Also, we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I'd like to introduce a very old friend of mine Professor Abe Altesterio." The students and teachers gave him a nice round of applause and the professor stood up and gave a wave, but it was obvious that he had no intention of addressing the crowd. "Yes, yes welcome professor." Dumbledore continued. "Now just a few more things and we can start the feast. There will be a Yule Ball over the Christmas holiday for all students fourth year and up and tryouts for the house quidditch teams will be next Monday. Alright, now that we've gotten that out of the way let the feast begin." With a clap of Dumbledore's hands the food appeared on the plates in front of them. Everyone began to eat and talk. Harry could hear some of the girls discussing the Yule Ball, while most of the boys were talking about who would be the new players on the quidditch team. Harry tried to stay out of that conversation as much as possible since he didn't want to show any favoritism.  
  
When the teachers sensed that everyone was finished, they made an announcement for the prefects to take the first year students up to their respective houses. Harry decided to beat them up there and made a quick dash for the door. He wanted to get to the common room before there was a whole lot of commotion. He got to the fat lady and said the new Gryffindor password that Ron had mentioned to him earlier.  
  
"Bellico Arrivato." Harry said.  
  
"You may enter." She replied as the picture swung open. Harry was the first one in his dorm and began unpacking his things that had been placed next to his four-poster. After a few minutes, Dean and Seamus joined him.  
  
"Hey mate." Dean said as he approached Harry to shake his hand. "How did your holiday go?"  
  
"It was actually alright." Harry responded. "How was yours?  
  
"It was good." Dean responded. "I went and stayed with Seamus for a few weeks so I got to get some practice on my broom."  
  
"Oh." Harry said grinning. "Are you going to try out for the quidditch team?"  
  
"Yea, well I love sports and since the school doesn't have a football team, I figured that I should give quidditch a try."  
  
"You should see him mate." Seamus added. "He's gotten really good on his broom."  
  
This news made Harry very happy. Dean had a very tall athletic frame that would be perfect for quidditch although he had never really expressed any interest in playing before. "Good, luck." Harry said. "I hope your good, we could definitely use a good flyer." But before Dean could respond, Ron came through the door looking for Harry.  
  
"Harry, there's a first year downstairs that keeps asking to see you." Ron said.  
  
"Who is it?" Harry said calmly. He figured it was probably just some kid who wanted to meet the "famous" Harry Potter.  
  
"I don't know." Ron responded. "But he's insisting upon seeing you right away."  
  
"Alright." Harry said as he ascended the stars to the common room. When he got there he saw Ginny standing by the fireplace with a small, skinny dark haired boy who looked familiar. He approached them and looked at the boy very intently.  
  
"Hello Harry." The boy said. "It's nice to see you again."  
  
Authors note: Well that was chapter 7. I hoped you liked it. Most of you probably know who the mystery first year is but if you don't then you'll find out in the next chapter. In the next chapter Harry has an interesting conversation with the first year boy, he has an encounter with the new DADA teacher, and he holds the first DA meeting of the new year. Keep reading and reviewing. Thanks! 


	8. Chance Encounters

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
Chapter 8  
Chance Encounters  
  
"Do you remember me?" The first year boy said. Harry starred at him for a few seconds and then realized that he should have recognized him right away. Had he seen him walking around Privet Drive instead of at Hogwarts he would have known him immediately.  
  
"Yea, Mark right?" Harry replied while looking at him curiously. "I didn't know that there were any magical families in the neighborhood.  
  
"The thing is Harry," Mark said as a smile broke over his lips, "I never had any reason to believe that my family was magical."  
  
"So you're a muggle born." Harry said. He wasn't sure if Mark even knew what that meant yet. He remembered when he was told that he was a wizard and knew that there were a lot of terms that had to be explained to him.  
  
"Actually no." Mark started. "As you can probably relate to, when Dumbledore came to my house to tell me I was a wizard, I was a little shocked."  
  
"Wait." Harry interrupted before Mark could continue. "Dumbledore came to your house personally?"  
  
"Yea, why is that odd?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but I think it probably is." Harry said making a mental note to ask the headmaster about it. "Don't worry about it, go on with your story."  
  
"So, as I said, I was pretty surprised when I found out I was a wizard. But my parents weren't. It turns out that my mom's a muggle, but my dad is a squib. They were so happy and proud when they found out that I was a wizard."  
  
"You had no idea that anyone in your family was magical when you were growing up?" Harry asked.  
  
"Well, I've never known any of my family on my dad's side." He said. "I've asked questions about why I've never met any of them but my parents never want to talk about it. But anyways, when Dumbledore left, my Dad sat with me for about four hours and answered questions I had. He also told me everything about the wizarding world that he knew including your story."  
  
"So he knew about me and Lord Voldemort?" Harry replied. He wasn't really surprised his dad knew. It seemed that there wasn't a person that was connected in any way to the wizarding world that didn't know.  
  
"Yea, he knew and he told me that if I needed anything or had any problems, that I should go to you. He said that he knew that you would watch out for me." Mark said, a little embarrassed.  
  
"Well he was right." Harry replied which made Mark's face immediately light up. "After all, anyone who is an enemy of Dudley is a friend of mine. "I can't wait to see his face when he finds out. We are going to have some fun with him next summer." Harry stayed up with Mark until the common room was empty as they exchanged stories about Dudley and Harry told Mark things about the wizarding world that he hoped would help him. Then he showed him to the first year's dorm and reiterated that if he never needed anything than he should come to him. It would be nice, Harry thought as he headed up the stairs to the sixth year boys dormitory, to have a familiar face on Privet Drive. When he got to his bed he noticed that there was a letter sitting on it, which he read before, he fell asleep.  
  
Harry,  
  
Please come see me after your last class tomorrow. The password is ton- tongue toffee.  
  
Professor Dumbledore  
  
Harry wondered what the headmaster wanted to see him about, but before he could contemplate it too seriously, exhaustion took over and he drifted off to sleep.  
  
The next morning, Harry woke up and found that the other sixth year boys had already left for breakfast except Neville who looked as though he was just about to leave.  
  
"Morning Harry." Neville said as he pulled out his wand from his trunk and performed a few practicing swishes with it. "Gran got me a new wand this summer. She wasn't even mad that I broke my dad's old wand. Mr. Ollivander said that this one should suit me nicely. When are you planning on starting up the DA? I can't wait to try this out."  
  
"I'm going to talk to Professor Dumbledore about it today." Harry responded as he lazily pulled himself out of bed and began to get dressed. "I imagine it will be much easier to have meetings when we don't have to sneak around."  
  
"Great." Neville replied as he walked out the door. Harry was glad to see that Neville's confidence was so high. Neville had been a big contributor in the battle at the Department of Mysteries last year and with a little more practice and his own wand, he could turn into a strong wizard.  
  
Harry noticed that his class schedule had been placed on the trunk in front of his bed and he looked it over as he headed down to the common room.  
  
Monday- Charms, Double Transfiguration, Double Herbology  
  
Tuesday-Double DADA, Potions, Double Care of Magical Creatures  
  
Wednesday- Double Charms- Transfiguration, Herbology, Potions  
  
Thursday- Potions, DADA, Care of Magical Creatures  
  
Friday- Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, DADA  
  
Well today wouldn't be too bad of a day Harry thought. The thing that jumped out at him initially was that he was still scheduled to take potions. Professor McGonagall had told him that Professor Snape only accepted those students who got Outstanding on their potions OWL into his Newt level class, and Harry had only received exceeds expectations. He reasoned that Professor McGonagall had probably convinced Snape to let him in. So now Snape had another reason to resent him.  
  
As he got to the bottom of the stairs and entered the common room, he saw Ron and Hermione sitting next to each other on the couch comparing their own class schedules.  
  
"Hey Harry." Ron said as Harry approached the two. He noticed Ron instinctively move away from Hermione a little as they had been sitting very close. "We were just comparing our timetables. Let's see yours." Harry handed Ron his schedule as Ron handed his to Harry.  
  
"Well it looks like we have about the same schedule." Harry said. "Except that you have Divination when I have Potions."  
  
"Your in the Newt level potions?" Hermione asked. "I didn't think Snape excepted anyone who didn't get below outstanding on their OWL." If you didn't know Hermione, this statement might have seemed a little smug considering she got Outstanding on nearly all her Owl's, but Harry knew that she was not trying to sound conceded.  
  
"I thought the same thing." Harry responded. "But apparently someone convinced Snape to let me in."  
  
"Well, thank Merlin." Said Hermione. "I thought that I would be stuck in that class by myself." Hermione's statement made Harry realize that they would probably be the only Gryffindors in that class. It was bad enough to be stuck with Snape all day but now he and Hermione would be especially easy targets for him to pick on.  
  
"On a different note." Harry explained. "I am going to see Dumbledore after my last class today and I'm going to talk to him about the DA. I'm going to try and have a meeting this week. And remember Ron, we have quidditch tryouts in a week so we have to alert the rest of the team."  
  
"You don't need to remind me." Ron replied. "I have been working on coming up with a few drills that will help us identify the best chasers out there. I think we need to do more than just have them pass and try to score on me. We need to ."  
  
"Tell me about it later." Harry interrupted. "I'm so hungry, I could eat a hippograff. Let's go get breakfast." The three of them headed down to breakfast and arrived at the Gryffindor table. Ron made a conscious effort to sit next to Harry, leaving Hermione sitting across from them. A few minutes into breakfast, Harry noticed that Ginny was sitting a little ways down the table and Harry figured it was a good time to go remind her about Quidditch tryouts since Ron and Hermione had already started in an argument about Ron's table manners.  
  
"I'm just saying Ron, that a prefect should try to sustain a respectable image at all times." Hermione lectured.  
  
"I'll be right back." Harry said as he got up and headed towards Ginny. Glancing back he realized that Ron and Hermione hadn't shown any signs of noticing that he left. When he sat next Ginny, he felt his pulse race a little as she flashed him a smile.  
  
"Hi Harry." She said as a few of her fellow fifth year friends giggled among each other.  
  
"Hi." He replied looking into her eyes. He sat there for a few seconds and didn't say anything because at this moment, he had absolutely no idea what he had come to say to her.  
  
"Is there something you need?" She said nicely which snapped him out of his trance.  
  
"Oh yea, I just wanted to remind you that quidditch try outs are a week from today. Ron is preparing a pretty extensive regiment for it and it will be good to have the whole team there."  
  
"So you're not going to make me tryout for chaser?" She said with a sly smile.  
  
"Well, I thought about it," Harry replied in an equally sarcastic tone, "but I didn't want to risk getting myself a new set of horns for my head."  
  
"So." Ginny said as she leaned in to whisper in Harry's ear. "The great Harry Potter is afraid of a sweet, little innocent girl?" Harry didn't know quite what to say. Was she flirting with him? He had never been that successful at understanding girls and this was no exception, but he decided to make his best effort to play along.  
  
"Even I can see," He said as he got up from the table and whispered in her ear, "that your not so little anymore." He started to walk back to where Ron and Hermione were sitting and he looked back quickly to see here smiling at him. He knew that his statement would make her happy. Since she was the youngest of the Weasley children, and the only girl, she often struggled to make the rest of her family see that she was growing up. When he got back to the table he tried to join in the conversation that Ron and Hermione were having about what they should do when they have the first Hogsmeade weekend but he found that he could only keep his mind on one thing, or one person as the case may be.  
  
After his double Herbology lesson where they had learned about a plant called tirostranziona, which if ingested, allows a person to become temporarily fire resistant, Harry headed to the headmaster's office for his meeting.  
  
"Ton-tongue toffee." Harry said as the spiraling staircase began to bring him up to the headmaster's office. When he got there, he saw that the headmaster was not alone.  
  
"Ah Harry, come in." Dumbledore said waving him forward toward his desk. "I don't think you've been formally introduced Harry, this is professor Altesterio." The tall, thin man got up and extended his hand, which were equipped with noticeably long fingers.  
  
"Nice to meet you professor." Harry replied shaking his hand. As the professor returned pleasantries, Harry took a seat in the vacant chair next to the professor.  
  
"Now then Harry, I called you here to talk to you about a few things." Dumbledore started. "First, you will resume Occlumency lessons on Monday nights after dinner, I have already discussed this with professor Snape and as I told him, I expect you both to act professionally and cordially." Harry shook his head in agreement. He knew that learning Occlumency was one of the most important tasks he would undertake and he would do anything to accomplish it.  
  
"Next." Dumbledore continued. "As you have no doubt realized, you have been placed in the Newt level potions class. I went out on a limb for you and convinced professor Snape that you will do well in his class. But he stressed to me that he will not accept any less than exemplary work from you so you must stay on top of your potions at all times."  
  
"I will sir." Harry replied. He wanted to be an auror and if it meant working extra hard at potions then he would do it. "If you don't mind sir, there's something I wanted to discuss with you."  
  
"By all means." Dumbledore said.  
  
"I wanted to start up the DA again this year," Harry explained, "and I wanted to get your permission to use the Room of Requirements on Wednesday Nights."  
  
"That was actually what Professor Altesterio and I were talking about before you came in." Said Dumbledore. "Now, as long as it is alright with you Harry, Professor Altesterio will serve as a faculty advisor for the group and will help guide you along when you need help learning new things. We also felt that it might be a good idea to have a sort of competition incorporated which may attract more people to the group. So, at the last meeting of the month, there will be a dueling competition and records will be kept. Then, at the end of the year, we can have a tournament where the top ranked students will compete against each other in front of the school. What do you think?"  
  
"I think it sounds brilliant." Harry said looking between both professors. He was glad that Professor Altesterio would run the group because it would take a lot of pressure off him and making it a competition would definitely attract more people.  
  
"Alright then." Dumbledore said. "The first meeting will be Wednesday after dinner. I expect you'll make sure that an announcement is put up?"  
  
"Of course." Harry said as he got up to leave. This was great news. As he began to walk down the staircase, he thought for a fleeting second that there was something else he had wanted to ask the headmaster, but the excitement of the new DA consumed his thoughts. If Dumbledore had put Professor Altesterio in charge of the meeting than it was probably for good reason. Harry could barely control his excitement as he made his way back to Gryffindor tower to tell Ron and Hermione the good news.  
  
Author's note: In the next chapter they will have their first DA meeting. Ron and Harry will hold quidditch tryouts, and Harry will have his first encounter of the new school year with Snape. Please keep reviewing, I appreciate them. 


	9. The New Army

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
Chapter 9  
The New Army  
  
It seemed that within minutes of Harry returning to the common room and explaining Dumbledore's idea for the new DA group, word had seemingly spread throughout the entire school. On Tuesday morning, Harry put up announcements around the school (although it seemed unnecessary considering it was all anyone could talk about). Dumbledore made a decision to limit the group to third years and up, which made a few of the younger students upset but seemed appropriate.  
  
"This is going to be great Harry." Ron said as they settled in for their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the new year. "We'll probably have a big advantage over everyone else after all the practice we got this summer."  
  
"Your probably right Ron." Harry replied. "But that's not what's important. This will be a way to get more people interested and hopefully train them up in case Voldemort strikes." Ron's face fell momentarily. Harry thought that it was probably not because he mentioned Voldemort's name, (Ron seemed to be getting over that) but because Ron was always seemingly trying to find a way to stand out and hearing Harry trivialize it probably upset him.  
  
"Of course your right Harry." Ron said a little deflated. Harry didn't mean to upset his friend so he thought he'd change the subject quickly to something that would cheer him up.  
  
"So Ron, what are your ideas for the quidditch tryouts?" Harry asked. He knew this would catch Ron's attention.  
  
"Right, I haven't been able to tell you yet." Ron said happily. "Well, I think the most important thing for us to do will be to test the chasers endurance so I was thinking we could."  
  
"Hello class." Professor Altesterio said as he walked in the room. Immediately everyone turned their attention to him. Harry gave Ron a nod that told him they would discuss this later. Professor Altesterio went around the room and had everyone say their name and something about themselves so that he could get to know them better. The class was made up of students from all four houses since many students dropped the Dark Arts class or were unable to continue due to their scores on their OWL's. Harry noticed that there were not many Slytherins in the class. Although Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini were sitting together near the front of the room. It occurred to Harry that although each of them told the professor something about themselves, he did not tell them anything about himself.  
  
"Well, now that we are through with the pleasantries," The professor started, "I am going to tell you what I expect from you in this class. This is going to be a mainly practical class. From time to time, I may ask you to research and write about a particular subject, but for the most part, your grade will be based on how well you learn and perform the things that I ask of you. Also, it would be a good idea for all of you to join the new DA dueling group that will hold it's first meeting tomorrow. I will be in charge of the group and although it is not mandatory for you to join, it will certainly help you to succeed in this class. Are there any questions?" No one, including Hermione raised their hand so the professor continued. "Good. Now the first thing that I want to cover is producing a Patronus. Now I know from talking to my.good friend professor Dumbledore that some of you can already do it, but I want to make sure everyone in the class is proficient at it."  
  
Professor Altesterio went over how to perform the charm and then brought the students up one by one to practice it. Harry was very proud to see that everyone who was in the DA last year was able to produce some sort of patronus on their first try, although some were very weak. He was also happy to see that Malfoy was unable to produce more than a little silver mist. But by the end of the class, Harry noticed that more and more students were able to produce solid forms.  
  
"All right." The professor said as class came to an end. "We will work on this some more at the DA meeting tomorrow night." With that the students began to leave. Harry found Hermione after class and they said goodbye to Ron as he headed to Divination and they made their way down to the Potions dungeon.  
  
"Well this ought to be fun." Harry said sarcastically. "Not only am I going to have to do Occlumency with Snape, but I also have to go to potions four times a week."  
  
"Harry, you have to learn Occlumency and Snape is the best person to teach you, and don't worry about potions, I will help you if you need it. But you have to learn to be more civil to Professor Snape. You know Dumbledore trusts him for a reason, and after all, he was right about your vision this summer." Hermione was starting to preach which was one thing that Harry couldn't stand.  
  
"I know Hermione." Harry said with an angry tone. "But he doesn't have to be a bloody git all the time just because he didn't like my father and Sirius." Mentioning Sirius' name made Harry shudder. Snape had made a point to suggest that Harry was responsible for Sirius' death last time he saw him and Harry would never forget it. He may have to cooperate with Snape in order to accomplish the goals that he had, but he still didn't trust him. Hermione seemed to understand that this was a difficult thing for Harry to go through and didn't comment about it again.  
  
They entered the dungeon and sat down at a table in the back as Snape swept into the room. The class basically consisted of Snape giving them a schedule of what they would be learning this year and then telling them to read the first chapter of their potions book quietly because they would be working on the potion in question in tomorrow's class. The potion described in the first chapter was a very complex invisibility potion. Harry began to read about it when Hermione leaned over and whispered to him.  
  
"I almost forgot, we haven't even seen Hagrid yet since we've been back." Hermione said with a smile on her face. She had always had a special soft spot for Hagrid.  
  
"Well, we have him in class next, so I expect we'll see him then." Harry Replied as he turned away from Hermione and saw Snape starring angrily at him.  
  
"Potter, Granger, five points from Gryffindor for talking while you should be reading." Snape said in a very loud voice so that the whole class could follow along. "You especially Mr. Potter, can not afford to take any time away from your potions studying."  
  
"Sorry Professor." Hermione said as she buried her head back into her book. Snape did not agknowledge her apology but instead kept his gaze fixed on Harry. Harry in turn, gazed back intensely.  
  
"Mr. Potter, outside." Snape said as he turned around in a flash and made his way to the door. Harry followed him out, but made sure to not go to quickly as he didn't want Snape to think that he was intimidated. After Snape closed the door and they were seemingly alone in the hallway he spoke.  
  
"We will be starting Occlumency lessons again on Monday night after dinner." Snape said in a fairly civil tone. "I expect you to put forth your best effort at all times. People are not putting their lives on the line so that you can get yourself or others killed." When Harry looked back on this conversation later, there were plenty of things that he would have liked to say to Snape, but at the time all he could do is nod. Thinking about Sirius dying to keep him safe was always a terrible thing to replay in his head and Snape always seem to bring back those bad memories.  
  
The rest of the day Harry was very on edge. The only image that he could see was Sirius falling through the veil over and over again. He even briefly yelled at Hermione for getting points taken away from Gryffindor for engaging him in conversation in Snape's class, but he apologized shortly thereafter and she accepted it. Hagrid's class seemed to go on forever. Probably because Harry was not really paying much attention. After class, Hagrid asked Ron, Hermione, and Harry if they wanted to stay at his hut for some tea but Harry didn't feel much like it so he asked Hagrid if they could reschedule for the weekend and he was understanding. Ron and Hermione decided that they would also take a rain check and they followed Harry back to Gryffindor tower.  
  
"You all right Harry?" Ron clearly did not want to ask this question but Hermione probably convinced him.  
  
"I'm alright." Harry replied. He didn't talk much the rest of the night and Ron and Hermione let him be. He went to bed early and fell asleep trying to get the image of Sirius out of his head.  
  
In his dreams Harry saw the back of a man talking to hundreds of people who were all listening intently to what he had to say. He couldn't see clearly enough where they were or who they were, but the prickling in his scar told him that it was probably Voldemort. The pain had woken him up and he thought momentarily that he should go straight to Dumbledore but instead drifted back to sleep.  
  
The next morning Harry woke up to Neville knocking over a glass, which shattered all over the place. Harry and Ron, who were the last to wake up, both sprang out of bed.  
  
"Uh sorry." Neville said as Seamus came over and did a simple spell that sent all the tiny pieces back together. Harry didn't feel all that tired and was able to climb out of bad rather easily.  
  
"Hey Harry." Ron said in with a very excited tone in his voice. "New DA meeting today." Harry had almost forgot about it and was very happy when Ron brought it up. He was anxious to see what things Professor Altesterio had in store for them. They talked all day about what sorts of things the professor would teach them. The whole school was buzzing and the classes seemed to fly by that day. Well except for potions, which seemed to drag on no matter what the circumstances. After dinner, all the house tables and the chairs were vanished and the people who wanted to join stayed in the Great Hall waiting for Professor Altesterio to arrive. While looking around, Harry noticed that there was somewhere around a hundred people. There were definitely people from all four houses, including Malfoy and Zabini from Slytherin.  
  
"Alright listen up." Professor Altesterio said as he entered the room. "He was speaking into his wand which in turn projected his voice loudly through the Great Hall. "The first thing I want is for you to break up into two groups. All the third and fourth year students go to the left side of the room and all the fifth, sixth and seventh year students go to the right side of the room." Everyone did as they were told and it seemed that there were only about fifteen or twenty third and fourth year students. Harry was glad to see that every sixth year Gryffindor was present. For his first meeting, the professor again concentrated on teaching how to deliver a Patronus. He worked with the third and fourth year students and asked Harry to go around and help the fifth, sixth and seventh year students. The meeting lasted about two hours and by the end it seemed that almost every student fifth year and up were able to produce a solid Patronus including Malfoy who looked very smug when a large python shot out of his wand. The professor assured everyone that next week they would be learning multiple spells that will be very useful in a duel and then dismissed the meeting. When they got back to the common room, Ron and Harry settled in to a game of chess and Ron finally got to tell Harry his plan for the quidditch tryouts.  
  
"Wait, before you tell me, we should get the rest of the team here." Harry said as he looked around the room. He spotted Ginny studying on a couch in front of the fireplace. "Why don't you go upstairs and see if you can find Sloper and Kirke and I'll go tell Ginny." Harry saw Ron quickly maneuver the stairs as he headed over to get Ginny.  
  
"Hem hem." Harry cleared his throat as he stood in front of Ginny.  
  
"Can I help you, Captain Potter?" Ginny said with a sly little smile.  
  
"Actually you can." Harry replied. "We are going to have a quidditch meeting right now to discuss tryouts and I want everyone on the team there."  
  
"And what if I say I'm too busy right now." She replied starring at him now with a very straight face.  
  
"Well than how does the position of back up beater sound to you?" He couldn't help but smile when he said this and she returned a smile to him as she got up and began to walk to the other side of the room where Ron had returned with the two beaters.  
  
Ron explained that he wanted to give those who were trying out a thorough endurance test. He figured that since Harry was the best seeker in the school, the best strategy would be to outlast the other teams. If they could wear the other team down than they could rack up as many points as they could and Harry could hold off catching the snitch as long as he could. The team agreed that it was a good strategy and when Friday rolled around, there were no less than fifteen people out on the quidditch pitch vying for the two open chaser positions. Ron and Harry set up drills for them to do including doing three laps around the pitch and then attempting ten shots on Ron. When it was all said and done the tryouts lasted for over five hours and there were two people that clearly stood out among the rest.  
  
Harry was happy to see that Dean Thomas was as good as Seamus suggested. He had extraordinary endurance and was able to score on Ron a few times, which was a task that not many of the participants accomplished. The other person was Geoffrey Hooper who was in Ginny's year. Harry remembered that he had tried out for keeper last year and nearly made it over Ron except for the fact that Angelina felt he was a bit of a whiner. But, Harry could not deny that he had played very well. He actually got the quaffle past Ron five out of ten times which was very impressive.  
  
At the end of tryouts Harry announced the two new members of the team and three alternates including Sara Zedmore who was incredibly fast and small with great reflexes. She was only a second year and Harry could see that she would make a great seeker someday. He privately thought to himself that he would work with her personally at practice. He then addressed his new team and told them that he expected them all to work extremely hard, because this year they were going to win the cup by a long shot. The whole team cheered and hollered and they all began to walk back to the castle full of positive energy, until Neville came running out of the castle screaming for Harry.  
  
"Calm down Neville, what is it?" Harry said as Neville tried to catch his breath.  
  
"I'm, I'm not sure." Neville replied. But Professor McGonagall needs to see you right away. Something's happened to Dumbledore. 


	10. A Brave Face

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
Chapter 10  
A Brave Face  
  
"Where is Professor McGonagall now." Harry shouted at Neville in a panic.  
  
"She's in the headmaster's office." He replied. Harry wasted no time in sprinting through the corridors until he reached Dumbledore's office. When he walked in he saw professor McGonagall pacing around his desk.  
  
"What's happened?" Harry said loudly as he caught McGonagall's attention.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore is in a coma Potter." She replied with a very serious but controlled tone. "I'll take you in to see him." She led him into a room that was behind his desk on the right side and there he saw Madam Pomfrey standing over him on one side and Professor Altestario on the other.  
  
"How did this happen?" Harry asked. It was very difficult for him to see Dumbledore look so frail and powerless. Harry always felt that he was safe as long as Dumbledore was around. But now, seeing Dumbledore lay there helplessly, Harry had a feeling of weakness that he hadn't experienced since being surrounded by death eaters in the graveyard his fourth year.  
  
"We don't know." Professor McGonagall replied. "We were hoping you could shed some light on the subject. What exactly happened to Dumbledore this summer?" Harry looked down at his lion necklace briefly and then turned back to look at the professors.  
  
"I don't know." He said. "He never told me."  
  
"I know you talked with him after he woke up this summer." McGonagall had now raised her voice louder than Harry had ever heard it. "We need to know."  
  
"I don't know." Harry screamed. Just then a candle flew across the room and shattered against the wall, which made all three occupants of the room stare at Harry curiously. Dumbledore had told Harry not to trust anyone with information about the spear. He hadn't even told Ron and Hermione and he was not about to break his promise now. Dumbledore knew that there was a traitor in the Order and until they knew who it was, no one was to be trusted.  
  
"If he says that he doesn't know, that should be enough for you Minerva." Professor Altesterio said in a very calm voice.  
  
"Very well." She replied still staring intensely at Harry. "But one thing is for sure. Without Dumbledore, Hogwarts is vulnerable and I'm sure by now, everyone knows that he is incapacitated. As acting Headmistress, I am canceling all Hogsmeade weekends until further notice and all Quidditch practices must be supervised by a teacher. I am going to go alert the rest of the staff of the situation. Let me know Potter, if you remember anything that may be helpful." Harry nodded his head as she exited the room.  
  
"Harry, can I speak with you outside." Professor Altesterio said motioning for him to follow him back into the office. Madam Pomfrey was busy checking Dumbledore's vital signs and didn't even take notice of them leaving.  
  
"I can't tell you anymore than I said in there." Harry started immediately as soon as they were alone. "Like I said, I don't know."  
  
"Relax Harry, I'd say that I know about as much as I need to." He replied with a slight twinkle in his eyes. "You see, Dumbledore was sitting at the staff table in the Great Hall at dinner when he collapsed. Since I was sitting next to him, I was the first to come to his aid. I opened up the top of his robes to check that his heart was still beating when this fell out of his pocket." The professor held up a small vile which seemed to contain blood. "I expect that you will know what to do with this," he said as he handed it to Harry and exited the room.  
  
Harry examined the vile. It was definitely blood. But whose? Had professor Dumbledore somehow gotten Voldemort's blood and not told him about it. That seemed unlikely, but there were certainly many questions that were swirling around in his head. Including how Professor Altesterio knew to give the vile to Harry. How much did he know? Harry pondered these questions until he got back to the Gryffindor common room. When he entered, he saw a lot of sad faces including Ron, Hermione, and Ginny who were sitting together in the corner by the fire. Hermione and Ron were sitting next to each other on the couch (Hermione was leaning her head on Ron's shoulder), and Ginny was sitting in front of them on the floor.  
  
"Is it true?" Ron said as Harry approached the three of them. Harry shook his head yes as he took a seat next Ginny on the floor. Ginny immediatly lunged for Harry and wrapped him up in a big hug as she cried on his shoulder. He held her tightly and felt like he never wanted to let go, but then realized that Ron and Hermione were watching him waiting for an explanation.  
  
"He's in a coma." Harry said to them as he released Ginny. "They don't know why, so they don't have a way to cure him. We're just going to have to wait and hope."  
  
"We're doomed without him." Hermione said as she began to sob. Harry knew how she was feeling, but he also knew that they couldn't just give up so he starred at Ron and Hermione and spoke to them in with a very confident voice.  
  
"Come with me." He said as he got up and started walking towards the stairs that led to the boy's dormitory. The three of them got up quickly and followed Harry as he led them to the sixth grade boy's dorm and closed the door. He decided that he needed to tell them as much information as he could. Harry knew that they would never betray them. Although he would still not tell them about the spear.  
  
"What is it?" Ginny said. She looked very frightened, as did Ron and Hermione.  
  
"There are a few things that I need to tell you." He said as they all starred at him with wide curious eyes. "This summer, Dumbledore was on a mission. I can't tell you what kind of mission, but he was ambushed, he was set up. There is a traitor in the Order. Someone was trying to get rid of Dumbledore this summer, and someone is trying to do it again. Now, it could be anybody, which means that we don't trust anyone but each other. Not even Hagrid. You three are prefects so you have to stay confident. No more crying in the common room, you'll scare the hell out of the younger students. I am going to talk to Professor Altesterio about making the DA meetings longer and more intense and I'm also going to ask McGonagall to let first and second years join. I'm going to send a letter to Fred and George when we get done here so that they can keep us updated about what's going on with the Order."  
  
"But Harry." Ron interrupted. "Fred and George aren't members of the Order."  
  
"They will be after I talk to them." He replied. "They are of age and out of school and no one can deny their talent. We need someone who we can trust on the inside and we know that your parents are not about to tell us anything so Fred and George are going to have to convince the Order to let them in. Don't worry; I expect it won't be too difficult to convince either side. We should also go and talk to Hagrid this weekend. We've always been able to get information out of him."  
  
They all looked at him and nodded and he could see that they understood what needed to get done.  
  
"Well go downstairs and have a talk with all the younger students." Hermione said as she stood up straight and tried to put on a confident face.  
  
"Good." Harry replied. "And I am going to right that letter to Fred and George." With that, he pulled out a piece or parchment and a quill and began writing a letter to the twins.  
  
Dear Fred and George,  
  
As you have no doubt heard, Dumbledore is in a coma. I have reason to believe that there is a traitor inside the Order. I need you two to join the Order and report back to me with anything and everything that is going on. I am sure that it might take some convincing for your parents to agree but you MUST make them see that you are ready and able to help the Order. I need your help and Dumbledore needs your help. Don't share this letter with anyone, (including your parents and brothers) and please get back to me as soon as possible.  
  
Thanks Harry  
  
Harry sealed the letter and got up to go to the owlery when he noticed that Ginny hadn't left, she was still standing near the door. He walked up to her and grabbed one of her hands softly.  
  
"Are you ok?" He asked. She was not crying anymore, but she still showed signs that she had been.  
  
"I'm scared Harry." She replied. "I still see him sometimes in my dreams you know. He had taken me over for a significant amount of time, and sometimes I can still feel him. I hear him taunting me. Everyone just expects that I forgot about it or that I've gotten over it, but I don't know that I'll ever get over it." Ginny had become more powerful and more confident over the past couple of years, so it was hard for Harry to see her look so vulnerable.  
  
"The best way to get over it Gin, is to be proactive." He said as he looked deeply into her eyes. "There's more people on the good side than the bad and if we work hard and stay together, we'll get him." She seemed to respond positively to his words and she confidently approached him.  
  
"Thanks." She said softly as she put her hands on his shoulders and kissed him quickly on the cheek. As she was leaving, they exchanged a brief look that was more intense than anything Harry had experienced with a girl before. He sat there by himself for a few seconds contemplating his feelings but then quickly snapped out of it realizing that he had to get the letter to Fred and George. He swept through the Gryffindor common room quickly and headed down to the owlery to find Hedwig. When he entered the owlery he found that it was completely empty, except for the hundreds of owls that were now making all different noises upon seeing that they had company  
  
"Hello Hedwig." He said as she swept down and landed on his arm. He pulled out a treat that he kept in his pocket and gave it to her. "Take this to Fred and George and don't leave them until you get a reply." She hooted excitedly and swooped away quickly out the window. His next thought was to go and find Professor Altesterio to discuss his plans for intensifying the DA meetings, but when he turned around he noticed that he was no longer alone.  
  
"Hello Potter." Malfoy said as he Crabbe and Goyle closed the door to the Owlery behind them. 


	11. Unlikely Help

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
Author's Note: Well what can I say. It's been a while. I'm not going to make any excuses. But I'm back and I hope you like the new chapter. Thanks  
  
Chapter 11  
Unlikely Help  
  
"Malfoy." Harry replied as he starred intensely into the Slytherin boy's eyes. Malfoy had a smirk on his face that made Harry very uncomfortable. All three Slytherins had their wands drawn and pointed at Harry. Harry could feel his wand in his pocket, and thought about drawing it out, however he knew that if he made any sudden moves, he would be on the receiving end of a curse.  
  
"You know Potter," Malfoy said as he began to slowly approach Harry, "it's not safe for anyone to be walking around the castle alone. Especially now that Dumbledore is incapacitated." The temperature in the owlery seemed to have dropped about twenty degrees as Harry starred into Malfoy's foul eyes and contemplated his next move.  
  
"Thanks for the advice." Harry said in a tone that tried to portray that he was not at all worried about his current situation. Crabbe and Goyle where still standing at the door with their wands fixed on Harry while Malfoy had lowered his as he approached Harry. "So what are you doing here Malfoy? Sending an owl to your Deatheater father to celebrate Dumbledore's illness?"  
  
"I resent the implication." Malfoy said as he began to circle around Harry. Harry never took his eyes off him as he made his away around him. "Actually I must admit that we saw you come down here and wanted a word with you."  
  
"Do they even know how to talk?" Harry said sarcastically as he flashed a smile over at Crabbe and Goyle. In hindsight, it probably wasn't the smartest comment for Harry to make but he could never resist taking a shot at a Slytherin. The large Slytherins abandoned their post at the door and were walking at Harry angrily until Malfoy put up his hand and stopped them when they were about 10 feet away.  
  
"Well, I'll grant you they're no gentleman." Malfoy said with a snicker. "But they are good for some things." The next moment happened so fast that Harry didn't even have time to react. He saw Malfoy nod his head out of the corner of his eye and the next moment heard two shouts of Expelliarmus. Harry was sent flying into the wall and crashed face first against the hard concrete, which startled quite a few of the owls that were now hooting harshly. As he lay on the ground, he realized that he was bleeding from the nose and thought to himself that it was definitely broken. He opened his eyes and got to his feet with the help of the wall as he noticed Malfoy bend down and pick up his wand, which had apparently flown from his pocket.  
  
"I think I can handle things from here boys." Malfoy said as he examined Harry's wand. With that Crabbe and Goyle left the owlery closing the door behind them. "It never had to be like this you know. If you had just shook my hand and embraced me as a friend, then none of this would have happened. My father is on the run because of you. My family is a laughing stock because of you." Malfoy was starting to get angry Harry could see but at this point without a wand there was nothing he could do except try and calm him down.  
  
"Voldemort used your father just like he's used the rest of his Deatheaters." Harry replied trying to appeal to Malfoy's sense of logic. "All he cares about is his own power." Malfoy seemed to consider Harry's thoughts for a second and the anger on his face turned into a wicked smile.  
  
"You may be right." He said. "But when it's all over, one way or another he will have the power and when that day comes, those who were loyal to him will reap the benefits. I for one intend to be there."  
  
"What makes you think that Voldemort would even need you." Harry replied. He figured that his best bet was to keep Malfoy talking long enough and hope that someone that could help him would stumble into the owlery. "Your father failed him last year."  
  
"True, but the dark lord realizes that my father has and always will be valuable to him, and I intend to be as well." His expression was almost vacant as he starred at Harry's wand. "I know that the dark lord can't use his wand against you because this wand is its brother. What do you think he would say if I told him that I disposed of your old wand. I think that would earn me a lot of praise." Harry was speechless. He knew that if Voldemort found out that he could use his wand against Harry, then that would make him a lot more vulnerable.  
  
"This is a nice wand Potter. What's it made of?" Harry was still using the wall to keep himself up as he starred Malfoy down. "Well no matter." Malfoy said, conceding the fact that Harry wasn't going to answer. He looked it over a few more times and then snapped it in half and flung the pieces at Harry.  
  
At that moment, the pain that had been going through Harry's body had disappeared. He cried out at the sight of his wand breaking and sprang to his feet to try and grab ahold of Malfoy. A surge of energy ran through Harry's body and came crashing out of him in a jet of light that sent Malfoy flying clear across the room. Harry looked at his hands in astonishment and began walking towards Malfoy who appeared to be unconscious. Somehow, he had sent a very powerful spell at Malfoy without the use of his wand. But now, he had problems. Malfoy would know that his wand was obsolete and Crabbe and Goyle were no doubt still standing outside the door waiting. Somehow, he would have to find someone who could do a proper memory charm on Malfoy so that he could not tell Voldemort what he knew. So, Harry picked up Malfoy's wand and knowing that he had to act quickly, did the first thing that came to his mind.  
  
"Crabbe, Goyle, get in here." Harry shouted doing his best imitation of Malfoy's voice. The two boy's opened the door and came through quickly.  
  
"Petrificus Totalus." Harry stated with a flick of his wrist at the first boy who had come through which happened to be Crabbe. Goyle was in too much shock to even offer any defense and so Harry was able to hit him with a similar spell easily. Harry approached the boys who were lying there like two big rocks and it took all his effort to drag them one at a time and drop them next to Malfoy. Knowing that he had to act as quickly as possible, Harry realized that he had to find a professor that was friendly to the Order. Unfortunately, the professor whose office was closest to the owlery was Professor Snape. Harry ran through the dungeon and approached Snape's door and for the first time in his life, was hoping that Snape was there.  
  
"Professor." Harry shouted as he knocked repeatedly at the door.  
  
"What is it?" The Potions Master retorted sternly as the door flung open quickly.  
  
"I have a problem." Harry replied quickly. "I need you to come with me to the owlery now." Normally, Snape probably would have questioned Harry's motives but the look in his eyes caused him to get up and follow right away. As they made their way through the corridor, Harry began explaining his story to Snape. He conveniently left out the part about knocking out Malfoy with some sort of wandless magic and instead told him that he was able to overpower him physically and take his wand away. When they made it to the owlery and opened the door, Snape saw the three bodies laying in a row in the corner of the room.  
  
"Can you ever get through a day without running into some kind of trouble Potter?" Snape said smugly as he peered at Harry out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"Sorry." Harry retorted. "I really do love when I get surrounded by three Slytherins and my wand gets snapped." The sarcasm was not lost on Snape and he gave Harry a nasty look as he continued to assess the situation.  
  
"Do you still have Malfoy's wand?" Snape said as he was looking around on the ground around Malfoy.  
  
"Yes, here." Harry said as he handed Snape the wand.  
  
"Alright, go pick up your snapped wand and make sure no one finds out about it being broken." Snape demanded. Harry went over and picked it up the two pieces and felt his heart sink a little. That was his first wand ever and he knew that it was very special. "Now get out of here, I will take care of the rest."  
  
"Alright then." Harry replied as he began to exit the room. He was suspicious about leaving Snape to make sure that Malfoy was taken care of, but right now he really didn't have any other option but to trust him.  
  
"And remember Potter." Snape yelled as Harry was almost out the door, "you will report to me on Monday night for Occlumency lessons." Harry nodded and began to make his way back to Gryffindor Tower. On the way, he remembered that he had wanted to meet with Professor Altesterio to discuss revamping the DA group but he reasoned that that could wait until later. Right now, he needed to talk with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.  
  
Upon reentering the common room, Harry found that his friends were in the corner talking and the rest of the common room was seemingly empty. Harry hadn't realized it but it was already past midnight. It had been a long day and exhaustion was starting to catch up to him, but Harry knew that he must first consult his friends about his recent encounter.  
  
"What took you so long?" Ron exclaimed as Harry approached. "We were just about to set out after you."  
  
"I had a little run in at the owlery." Harry stated not realizing that has face must look horrible after his run in with the wall of the owlery. "Malfoy and his two baboons cornered me."  
  
"Oh Harry!" Ginny cried as she put her hand over her mouth and came to his side. Hermione followed suite and conjured a wet towel to wipe away the blood that had now dried up around his face. Before he could even open his mouth to tell them that he was alright, Ginny had muttered some sort of incantation that hit him square in the face. He felt his nose begin to burn and tighten as he heard the bones snapping back into place.  
  
"Thanks." Harry said as he put his hand to his nose to examine it. "When did you learn to do that?"  
  
"I've just been brushing up on some healing charms, but that doesn't matter right now." Ginny proclaimed passionately. "How did this happen?"  
  
"Well as I said, they surrounded me in the owlery." Harry began to explain. He decided that despite Snape's direction to not tell anyone about his broken wand, he would tell his friends because if he couldn't trust them then he couldn't trust anyone. So he told them the complete story, (except the part about the wandless magic) and they all sat there listening intently until he was finished. When he was done, Hermione was the first to speak.  
  
"This is an odd move for Malfoy." Hermione started. "Especially with his family under so much scrutiny, I wouldn't think that he would come out so blatantly in favor of Voldemort. Did he think that you wouldn't tell anyone?"  
  
"I don't think he cares Hermione." Harry answered. "He could always deny that he said any such thing and besides without Dumbledore, who is going to reprimand him?" They all understood his point. Without Dumbledore, Hogwarts would not run under the same type of order.  
  
"I'd say the first thing you have to do is get a new wand." Ron said. Harry nodded in agreement but very quickly realized that it might not be as easy as it sounds. It would be a difficult task to walk into Ollivander's and get a new wand without anyone finding out about it.  
  
"We'll take care of that in the morning." Harry stated. "Right now I think we all need to get some sleep." They all agreed and they made their way up to their respective common rooms bidding each other good night on the way. Harry drifted off to sleep hoping that tomorrow would bring better times.  
  
"Wake up Harry Potter. Wake up." A familiar voice said as Harry was trying to shake the sleep out of his eyes and reach for his glasses. When he fixed them to his face, he saw the familiar big round eyes of Dobby at the foot of his bed.  
  
"Hi Dobby." Harry said with a very scratchy voice. "What is all the fuss about?"  
  
"Dobby is delivering you a note and wanting to tell Harry Potter that his owl is waiting for him at the window in the common room."  
  
"Thanks Dobby." Harry replied as he took the note. Dobby must have been busy because without another word he snapped his fingers and was gone. The note was from Professor Altesterio and he wanted him to meet him in his office as soon as he could. Harry reached over and threw a robe on and continued down to the common room, which appeared to be deserted which made sense considering it was very early on Saturday morning. He headed towards the window and saw Hedwig scratching softly against the window.  
  
"Thank you Hedwig." He said as he detached the letter that was tied to her leg. "I don't have any treats but I'll come visit you later with one." Hedwig gave him a mildly angry hoot and flew out the window in a flash. Harry tore open the letter quickly and his eyes flew directly to the bottom to confirm that it was from Fred and George.  
  
Harry,  
  
Of course you can count on us mate. We've been trying to join the Order ourselves but Mum keeps on insisting that we don't. But we have ways of making her listen to reason. We'll report back when we know anything.  
  
Regards,  
  
Fred and George  
  
This was a big relief to Harry. Fred and George always seem to know more than they should and this was an opportunity for them to use that to their advantage. Harry knew that if anyone could help him spy on the Order, it was them.  
  
With that out of the way, Harry fixed his attention on the note from Professor Altesterio. He had a lot to talk to him about. For some reason, Harry felt that he could trust Altesterio. He even thought that he would ask him what to do about his wand situation and they would definitely have to discuss the DA group. So Harry went to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and made his to the back of the room towards the office door.  
  
"Professor." Harry said as he gave the door a few taps. "It's Harry."  
  
"Come in." A voice responded.  
  
Harry opened the door and saw a man sitting behind the desk that he wouldn't have expected to see in a million years.  
  
"Dumbledore?" Harry shouted. 


	12. Alternate Identities

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
Chapter 12  
Alt-ernate Identities  
  
"Thank God your alright sir." Harry roared as he stumbled further into the room. Dumbledore put his hands up in a calming fashion and Harry settled down.  
  
"Please close the door Harry." Harry turned to close the door and when he turned back, he saw the headmaster looking at him as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.  
  
"What is it?" Harry asked. "What is going on?"  
  
"Well Harry," The professor started, "It might be easier for me to explain if I show you rather than tell you." Harry watched as the headmaster pulled out his wand and began to change things in his appearance. First he shortened his hair to about his shoulders and wound it up into a ponytail. Next he eliminated the long beard that flowed from his face until he was completely clean-shaven. Then he took off Dumbledore's large multi-colored robe and removed the half moon glasses from his face.  
  
"Professor Altesterio!" Harry screamed as he starred across the table in shock.  
  
"Actually, you were right the first time Harry." The professor stated as a faint smile broke across "I am Dumbledore, just not Albus." Harry was confused for a moment as the proceeding events spun through his head, however he quickly started to connect the dots and realized what was going on.  
  
"Aberforth?" Harry responded. He had seen a picture of Aberforth once before, but it had been a picture of the original Order of the Phoenix and so it was taken several years prior. He actually looked younger now than he had in the picture.  
  
"Indeed Harry." He said with a grin of satisfaction. "You're very astute. I dare say that Albus was right about you."  
  
"Right about what" Harry inquired.  
  
"Never mind. We have a lot to discuss." Aberforth stated. "Now then, I'll tell you what's going on. I have been working undercover for Dumbledore for a number of years. Up until this year, I was the bartender at the Hog's Head where I was able to keep track of many of the goings on in the wizarding world. You'd be surprised what you hear when no one knows your listening."  
  
"So that was you behind the bar when I came in last year for the DA meeting." Harry broke in.  
  
"Yes. I kept Albus well informed and occasionally he would even fill in for me behind the bar when he was not looking to be found." Aberforth said as he looked down at Harry and winked. "Our physical similarities have actually been quite an advantage over the years. We can literally switch places with a few flicks of our wand. And that Harry is why I wanted to talk to you know. I see from your reaction to me, that I should be able to fool the rest of the school into thinking that I am Albus. We are in far too much danger without my brother's presence around and something must be done."  
  
"But if you become Dumbledore," Harry started as he began to contemplate all the problems this would cause, "How are we going to explain your absence?"  
  
Aberforth cringed. "Well there are certainly problems. That is why I brought you here. My dear brother had informed me that if anything were to happen to him, you were the only person that I was to completely trust. That being said, not only must we find an explanation for my absence, we must also find a place for Albus to recover where no one will see his body. No one else must know that Albus is still incapacitated. No One!"  
  
Harry nodded. He understood the complexity and severity of this situation and began to calculate ways to pull it off. "Well, with the curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts job, I think that we could probably explain your absence without many people talking about it too much. But the real problem will be explaining it to the Order."  
  
"Actually Harry," Aberforth responded. "I think that part may be easier than you think. Once I assume the identity of Dumbledore, I can simply explain to the Order that I sent Aberforth on a top secret, very important journey. No one will even think to question me. The real question is, how can we get Albus to a secure location where we can keep a close watch on him, but no one else will be able to find him."  
  
Harry and Aberforth separately went into deep thought for what seemed like an eternity. Neither one of them said a word as they tried desperately to find a way to pull off this monumental deception. Then, all of a sudden, an idea came to Harry as if it was shot directly into his head.  
  
"Professor." Harry said as he stared into his eyes. "I have an idea that seems crazy even to me, but it just might be what we are looking for.  
  
"Sometimes the craziest ideas are the one's that make the most sense." Aberforth was looking intriguingly at Harry waiting for him to continue.  
  
"What if we brought Dumbledore to the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry stated. "The basilisk is dead so I don't think there would be any danger and I don't think that many people even know exactly where the entrance is besides Ron, Ginny and I. And even if someone knew, I think that I'm the only person who would be able to open it unless there is another Parslemouth around here that I don't know about."  
  
"Actually Harry," Aberforth said, "I think that's a brilliant idea. There would be no danger of anyone coming across him, and you could no doubt check in on him when you needed to."  
  
"And we can use my invisibility cloak to get him to the bathroom without anyone seeing." Harry added.  
  
Aberforth nodded in agreement and then started to lay out the complete plan. "Ok, meet me in Dumbledore's office at midnight tonight. It's important that you're not seen"  
  
Harry chuckled thinking about how his invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map have benefited him over the years. "Don't worry that won't be a problem."  
  
"Good. Then we'll put Albus under the invisibility cloak, levitate his body, and bring him to the Chamber. Then I will return to Dumbledore's office and transform into him and you will return to your bed. And in the morning, Albus Dumbledore will be back."  
  
"Alright then." Harry replied. "I'll see you tonight." Harry began to leave the office when it occurred to him that there were a few more pressing issues that had to be addressed. "Professor, I almost forgot. I don't know if you heard but my wand was snapped in two and I can't very well go on without a wand and I don't think that it would be wise for me to walk into Ollivander's and buy a new one."  
  
Aberforth shook his head and reached into his pocket. "Yes, Severus did mention to me that there was a situation. Of course in due time you will have to be fit with your own wand, but until then I think this will work." He pulled a wand out of his pocket and handed it over to Harry. "I'd wager that Albus won't miss it terribly right now." Harry held the wand in his hand and could almost feel the power radiating out of it. He had the wand of the most powerful wizard alive. Thankfully, the wand looked very similar to Harry's. No one would probably be able to tell that it wasn't Harry's wand (except for the fact that it was a little longer).  
  
"Thank you professor." Harry said as he began to leave.  
  
"I'm sure Albus would want you to have it." He replied. "Use it well."  
  
Harry nodded. "I will." And with that he left the office and headed back to Gryffindor Tower. The sun was shining brightly outside and came through the windows in sharp rays. There were many students walking though the halls, no doubt going to the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry eventually made it to the Gryffindor common room and noticed that it was nearly deserted except for Ron who was sitting in the corner scribbling something on a piece of parchment.  
  
Harry approached Ron and must have startled him because he flinched a little when he spoke. "Hey, what are you doin?"  
  
"Oh Harry." Ron responded. "I was just waiting for you and drawing up some new Quidditch plays in the meantime. Everyone else has already gone down to breakfast. Where were you this morning anyway?"  
  
"I had to go meet with Professor Altesterio about the DA group remember." Harry lied. He didn't want to mislead his friends and it wasn't that he didn't trust them but it was better if they didn't know everything for their own protection.  
  
Ron's forehead crumpled up and then straightened back up quickly. "Oh yea, I forgot you were going to meet with him. Did you ask him about your ..." Ron quickly lowered his voice to a whisper even though there was no one else in the common room and started making gestures with his hands to indicate a wand.  
  
Harry shook his head. "Yea he had an uh, extra wand that he kept for emergencies that he said I could use for the time being."  
  
Ron Shrugged, "Oh, that was lucky. We should get down to breakfast."  
  
Harry agreed and they set off for the Great Hall. Harry was actually feeling a lot more content about the current situation at Hogwarts than he had in a while. With Aberforth set to impersonate Dumbledore, the school would be a lot less vulnerable and Harry could concentrate on other things like the DA group and Occlumency. With all these things going on including Quidditch and his schoolwork, there was certainly a lot to be done, but his first five years at Hogwarts had not been any different.  
  
When they reached the Gryffindor table at the Great Hall, they took seats across from Hermione and Ginny who were looking intently at a copy of the Daily Prophet. They were so entranced by the article that they failed to even notice that Ron and Harry sat down.  
  
"Well what's got you two so interested." Ron said, trying to grab their attention.  
  
"Oh Ron, Harry, good thing you're here." Hermione said as she handed the paper to Ron. "Look at this."  
  
Ron situated the paper between the two of them and they began to read.  
  
Umbridge Trial to Start Monday: Fudge Implicated?  
Dolores Jan Umbridge, former high inquisitor of Hogwarts School of  
Witchcraft and Wizardry,  
Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, and Special Assistant to the  
Minister of Magic Cornelius  
Fudge will go on trial Monday for charges stemming from her sending  
Dementors to antagonize  
The Boy Who Lived. While Umbridge has admitted that she did send the Dementors to find  
Potter, preliminary testimony reports that she did so on orders from the Minister of Magic himself,  
Cornelius Fudge. Fudge was not available for comment. This along with the recent information that  
Fudge held out knowledge of the return of You Know Who from the public have caused an uproar  
throughout the wizard community. Many people are calling for a formal investigation of the Minister.  
Of Course, the true nature of the accusations that Umbridge will make will not be known until the  
trial commences on Monday.  
  
Ron had a devilish smile as he looked up from the article. "Serves them both right if you ask me. I hope they both get tossed in Azkaban." Harry agreed with Ron. After all that those two had put him through the previous year, they deserved no less.  
  
"Well, hopefully the full truth will finally come out." Hermione added. Harry nodded in agreement and began to dig in to breakfast. He hadn't realized it with all that had occurred over the past twenty-four hours, but he had failed to eat and was quite hungry.  
  
"Have you been taking eating lessons from Ron?" Ginny snickered as Harry continued to mow through his breakfast. He stopped eating long enough to give her a brief sarcastic smile and continued with his meal. When everyone was finished and the tables were clear, Harry decided that a little fresh air might do him some good.  
  
"Does anyone want to go outside?" Harry asked. "Maybe take a walk by the lake."  
  
"Actually Harry, I was going to go to the library." Hermione said as she gave Ron a quick glance. "I know it's early in the term but I still want to make sure I don't get behind on my homework."  
  
"When have you ever gotten behind in your homework?" Harry asked in response. "Well how about you Ron?"  
  
"Sorry Harry, I was going to go to the library too." Ron said. Harry gave him a curious look but before he could inquire further into Ron's sudden need to study on a Saturday Ginny spoke up.  
  
"I'm up for a walk by the lake." Ginny exclaimed.  
  
Harry smiled, "Great, let's go." They said goodbye to Ron and Hermione who promised to meet up with them later in the common room, and made their way to the outside grounds. It was nice, Harry reasoned, to clear his head and get out into the bright sunshine. Especially considering the undertaking that he had ahead of him that night. They walked down to the lake without saying anything (although they did exchange quite a few glances), and sat down under a nearby tree.  
  
Harry was starring out over the lake, remembering the second task of the Triwizard Tournament when Ginny broke the silence.  
  
"Are you scared Harry." She said with her big brown eyes showing her own fear. "I mean with Dumbledore in a coma, do you think something's going to happen?" The truth was that he was scared. Although knowing that he had Aberforth on his side certainly eased his tension a little. But he didn't want to make Ginny feel more scared than he knew she already was. He had to stay strong for the sake of his friends.  
  
"No, Ginny I'm not." He replied with as confident of a face as he could. "Dumbledore is going to be fine and we are doing everything that we can to be prepared. We are going to have intense DA meetings and learn all we can, and now we have Fred and George in the Order. You know them. They will find out who the traitor in the Order is in no time. There is nothing to worry about." Her eyes brightened up at his statement and he was glad that his confidence was able to make her feel better.  
  
"Thanks Harry." She said as she lunged forward and gave him a hug. "You always know how to make me feel better." Harry felt a jolt go through his stomach as he accepted Ginny into his arms. Before he even knew what he was doing, he broke apart from her and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. The look on her face as he sat back down could only be described as shock. Harry had never acted on an impulse like that with a girl before and it was clear that neither of them knew what to do.  
  
"Maybe we should uh go back to the common room." Harry said finally breaking the silence that seemed to have lasted for an eternity.  
  
"Ok." She said in return, flashing Harry a big smile. He was happy to see that she was obviously not mad about what he had done and so he got up and reached out his hand to help her up. They walked back to the castle and up to the common room making small talk about Quidditch and occasionally flashing each other smiles. Ginny also asked Harry whether he thought Ron and Hermione were really in the library studying. Harry hadn't really given it any thought and told Ginny that he was sure that they were.  
  
The rest of the day was pretty typical. Ron and Hermione eventually joined Harry and Ginny in the common room and Harry and Ron played a few games of chess while Hermione and Ginny were reading issues of Witch Weekly and occasionally whispering things to each other. After dinner, Harry separated from the group, telling them that he had some things to work on, and went to the library to find a book that would help with the DA group. He found a book called Duelings Greatest Spells and Defenses and sat down to read it for a while. He stayed there until about 11:30 and then headed back to the Gryffindor common room. Thankfully, when he got there, it was empty. He went to the sixth year boy's dorm and tiptoed over to his trunk to get the map and his invisibility cloak. Thankfully, Ron's snoring drowned out any noise that he made so he was able to slip out without any of the other sixth year boys noticing. He did a quick check of the map and saw that there was little movement except for Filch who was lurking somewhere near the dungeon, so he threw on the cloak and headed off towards Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Ton-tongue toffee." Harry told the stone gargoyles when he arrived at the office hoping that the password had not changed. Thankfully it had not and Harry stepped on to the spiral staircase, which deliberately ascended up to Dumbledore's office. When he reached the office, he quickly went to the room where Dumbledore was being kept and saw Aberforth sitting next to the bed.  
  
"Oh Harry, you're here." He said as he got up to greet him. "I expect you weren't seen?"  
  
"No, don't worry." He replied.  
  
Aberforth nodded, "Good. Then lets get going."  
  
"We'd better take Fawkes with us." Harry said as he approached Dumbledore's beautiful phoenix that was sitting on his perch. "We'll need a way back out of the Chamber.  
  
"Good idea." Aberforth said as he motioned to Fawkes who flew over and settled on his shoulder.  
  
Aberforth then levitated Dumbledore's body and Harry put the cloak over him. Harry led the way out of the office, while Aberforth guided Dumbledore's body with one of his hands. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Harry pulled out the Marauder's Map and quickly assessed the situation. It looks as though Filch is still in the dungeons. We should be able to make it to the second floor bathroom without being seen.  
  
"That map is extraordinary Harry." Aberforth said as he starred at the map and gave Harry a smile. "No wonder you can get around here without getting caught." Harry gave him a wink and they continued on until they got to the out of order second floor bathroom.  
  
"Here we are." Harry explained as they walked inside and made it towards the sink.  
  
"Whose there." A loud voice shouted from one of the stalls. Aberforth was taken by surprise and had drawn his wand and pointed in the direction of the stall.  
  
"Don't worry." Harry said as he motioned for Aberforth to lower his wand. "It's just Myrtle." Aberforth understood quickly when Myrtle flew through the air and came to a halt just over them.  
  
"Oh, Hello Harry." Said Myrtle with a big smile. "It's nice of you to come and see me. It's been a while."  
  
"Actually, Myrtle I need to go down to the Chamber again." Harry responded flashing her a smile back. "I need you to promise me that you won't ever tell anyone that you've seen me in here."  
  
"Don't worry Harry I won't." Myrtle replied as the tone of her voice began to rise. "Besides no one ever talks to me anyway." With that she flew back to her stall and landed with a loud thud that sent water spraying in all directions.  
  
Harry flashed Aberforth a knowing glance and said, "She's a little sensitive."  
  
"Alright, back to business." Aberforth responded as he pulled the cloak of Dumbledore. Dumbledore looked so frail that it made Harry very uncomfortable. It was hard to see the person you admired most looking so weak. "I'll place a cushioning charm around Albus and you open the chamber.  
  
Harry approached the sink in question on concentrated very hard on the snake engraving. It was hard for him to speak Parsletoungue when he wasn't actually talking to a snake. He closed his eyes and projected an image of the snake that he had spoke to years ago at the Zoo. When he could clearly see the snake in his mind he said, "Open up". The words came out in Parsletoungue and the sink began to slide down revealing the once familiar pipe that led to the chamber of Secrets.  
  
"I'll go first." Harry said as he stared at Aberforth with a concerned look. "Then you send Dumbledore down after me." Aberforth shook his head in agknowledgement and Harry approached the murky looking pipe. Without another thought he hurtled himself on to the muddy slide-like pipe and rode it down into the chamber. Eventually, the pipe spit him out into the same concrete room that he had encountered with Ron and Lockhart in his second year. The walls were full of mold and mud and the Chamber itself reeked of evil. Harry looked around and began to remember the encounter that he had here and the next second, pain ripped through his scar and Harry collapsed.  
  
Author's Note: I hope you all liked Chapter 12. I wonder how many people suspected that professor Altesterio was Aberforth? I thought it might give it away when I made his first name Abe. Anyways please continue to review I appreciate them. 


	13. A Sense of Normalcy

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
Chapter 13  
A Sense of Normalcy  
  
Harry woke up with a jolt with Aberforth standing over him and the body of his mentor hovering in the background. He couldn't say how long he had been out, however it probably wasn't too long. Aberforth had a deep look of concern on his face as Harry tried to regain his bearings.  
  
"What happened Harry?" Aberforth said frantically as he helped Harry get to his feet. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I don't know." Harry responded. In one sense, he didn't know exactly why he collapsed, but he knew it had to do with Voldemort. He remembered seeing flashes of things in his head as his scar began to emit excruciating pain, but presently he couldn't remember any specific details about those flashes. "My scar started to hurt and then I collapsed."  
  
"You need to do your best to control this connection you have with Voldemort." The professor mentioned as he left Harry and began to attend to the body of his brother. "Occlumency will help you with that."  
  
Harry nodded. "I start Occlumency lessons with Snape again this week."  
  
"Good. Take it seriously Harry. Voldemort has too much access to your mind. He above all over people must not find out about Albus." Harry agreed and together with Aberforth they began to set up a suitable space for Dumbledore to recover. Aberforth conjured a bed and pillows out of thin air and put some sort of barrier charm around the bed that he said would keep a steady flow of clean air going at all times. Harry reasoned that he had not seen many people pull off such complicated magic so easily and thought that Aberforth would surely be able to impersonate Dumbledore effectively.  
  
"Alright then Harry." Aberforth said as he surveyed the room. "It seems as though we have everything in order right now." He motioned for Fawkes and explained to Harry that it would be important for him to check on Dumbledore as often as he could. Harry took one last look at his headmaster and realized how truly lucky was to have such an intelligent wizard in his corner all these years. He just wished that he would wake up. There were so many things he needed to ask him. The most important being whose blood was it that Dumbledore had acquired.  
  
"Are you ready Harry?" Aberforth said as he grabbed ahold of Fawke's tail. Harry nodded in agreement and as Fawkes lifted Aberforth of the ground, Harry grabbed on to his legs. They started flying back up the pipe that had taken them to the Chamber and the wind was whisking past Harry's ears when he had a thought. If he could find out whose blood Dumbledore had acquired, then maybe he could find out what made Dumbledore so ill and they could cure him. He would definitely need the help of his friends if he was going to face a task of that magnitude which would mean that he would have to tell them a lot of things that Dumbledore had instructed not to.  
  
"Brace yourself Harry." Aberforth yelled which instantaneously snapped Harry out of the deep thought he was in. Fawkes shot up through the top of the pipe and came to a quick stop near the ceiling. Aberforth and Harry were whip lashed a little but then settled in on the floor of the bathroom.  
  
Aberforth handed Harry back his invisibility cloak. "Take this and get back to Gryffindor Tower. Remember tomorrow will bring a bit of a shock for a lot of people, be prepared."  
  
"I will sir." Harry responded as he threw the cloak over himself. "By the way sir. Who are you going to get to be the DADA teacher now? Will you just teach it as Dumbledore?"  
  
"No no, I expect that there will be much to do when I take over duties as Dumbledore. I will have a new teacher here on Monday."  
  
"Well." Harry said as he continued to stare at Aberforth. "Who is it?"  
  
"Let's just say that it's a surprise." Aberforth replied with a mischievous look on his face. "But I expect you'll approve of my choice." Harry nodded with a smile and headed out of the bathroom.  
  
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Harry told the Maurader's Map as he held it out in front of himself. There wasn't much activity going on. He noticed that Filch was in his office and that McGonagall was in the Astronomy Tower for some reason. So it seemed that he would be able to get back to the common room with no problem.  
  
When he arrived, the fat lady was fast asleep and was not very happy when Harry woke her up to get in. She even told him to get right to bed. It had been a tiring day so he took her advice and he was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.  
  
The next morning, Harry woke up to Ron shaking him very harshly.  
  
"Get up Harry, come on get up there's great news." Harry already knew exactly what this great news was and would have actually liked to sleep a little longer. But appearances had to be kept up and Harry knew that it would seem odd to everyone if he didn't have a reaction to Dumbledore's miraculous recovery. "Dumbledore is awake Harry."  
  
Harry tried to imagine that he had been told something much more revealing and responded by jumping up and down and throwing his close on as quickly as possible. They ran down the stairs to the common room and by the looks of it, you would think that Gryffindor just won the house cup. Everybody was excited and people were actually setting off fireworks. Harry even saw a few Butterbeers being passed around. As he looked around, he saw Hermione, Ginny, and Neville sitting together in the corner of the room. Neville spotted Harry and the three of them jetted across the room.  
  
"Isn't it great Harry?" Hermione said as she threw her arms around him. Ron cringed a little and Harry did his best fake smile.  
  
"Yea, it's wonderful." Harry responded. He saw Ginny give him a peculiar look out of the corner of his eye but when he turned to face her, she flashed him a big smile. Neville was telling Ron and Hermione about how his gran had been so worried when she heard about Dumbledore that she thought about pulling him out of Hogwarts. While they were distracted, Ginny came next to Harry with a curious smile still on her face.  
  
"You don't seem that surprised that Dumbledore is awake." She said, not quite whispering but not talking loud enough for anyone else to hear her.  
  
"Oh I am." Harry said as he threw his arms around her and pulled her into a celebratory hug. He was trying his best to relieve her suspicions and figured it must have worked because she began to blush and smile and she didn't mention her skepticism again. They continued to celebrate with the rest of the Gryffindors until McGonagall came in.  
  
"Mr. Potter." She said as she came through the door of the common room. "The headmaster would like to see you." Everyone turned their attention to Harry as he approached the Transfiguration teacher whose facial expression was similar to Harry's when he was told about Dumbledore's recovery. She led Harry in silence through the corridors until they came to the familiar gargoyle statues that guarded Dumbledore's office. McGonagall said the password, which Harry didn't hear clearly, but he thought it sounded like "Goat's Milk". She then entered the spiral staircase first and Harry followed right after her.  
  
"Ah Harry, come in come in." Aberforth said, doing his best Dumbledore impression. "Pleas sit down." Harry sat across from Aberforth and then noticed his eyes trace upward to focus on Professor McGonagall.  
  
"If you don't mind Minerva." He said motioning to the door with his eyes. McGonagall seemed like she was a little bit taken by surprise initially but then left without another word. As the door closed and Aberforth was convinced that they were alone he looked down at Harry and spoke.  
  
"It seems as though our plan has worked well Harry." He smiled. "If I can fool Professor McGonagall, then I am sure I will be able to fool anyone."  
  
"You do look quite convincing sir." Harry replied.  
  
"Good. Now then, the reason I wanted to see you was to tell you that things must go back to normal now as much as possible. Which means that we cannot have to many meetings together, and when we do, we must keep them a secret. The only difference is that you are going to have to check in on Albus when you can. If there is any change in his condition, let me know immediately."  
  
Harry nodded in agreement. "I will"  
  
"Alright, then I will contact you when I need to speak with you again."  
  
"Ok." Harry responded. "Good luck."  
  
"Thank you Harry." He said as he leaned back in his chair. Harry bid him goodbye and headed back to the Gryffindor common room. When he got there he noticed that the celebration had died down a bit. He headed to the loo to shower and change and when he got back his friends were waiting for him.  
  
"So what did Dumbledore say Harry?" Ron asked excitedly as Harry approached them. "Not much, he just wanted to assure me that he was fine." He wasn't sure if they bought it, but it was all that he could afford to tell them. He tried to change the subject as quickly as possible. "Why don't we head down for breakfast?"  
  
"Great idea." Ron said as he grabbed his stomach. "I'm starving."  
  
"So what else is new?" Hermione said as she poked him right in the stomach. Everyone laughed and they headed down for breakfast. Ron and Hermione were walking ahead of Harry, Ginny and Neville bickering as usual, and Ginny was back to giving Harry queer looks. Thankfully, Harry was able to avoid any questions from Ginny because shortly after they set off down the hall, Neville tripped over his own feet and fell down a flight of stairs. Thankfully he was all right, however it didn't stop everyone from talking about it.  
  
When the reached the Great Hall and sat down, Harry noticed that Aberforth was already there sitting in the headmaster's chair and he had a familiar old friend sitting next to him. Harry reasoned that this would be the Defense Against the Dark Art's teacher and he did indeed approve. Nobody else seemed to notice his presence and before they could Aberforth stood up and everyone, except for some of the Slytherins, broke in to a huge round of applause.  
  
"Thank you everyone," He spoke loudly as he motioned for the crowd to sit down. "I am very fortunate to have the support of so many people here at Hogwarts. I would just like to say a few things and then we can start breakfast. First, I would like to assure everyone that I am in good health. I was suffering from nothing more than exhaustion, which I am now over so I don't want anyone to worry about me. Next, I have a piece of bad news and a piece of good news. I know that many of you enjoyed your first week of Defense Against the Dark arts as well as the new DA club with Professor Altesterio but unfortunately he will not be able to continue his duties as Professor."  
  
A lot of whispering and shocked faces radiated through the hall. Harry did his best to look shocked as many people looked directly at him whenever some sort of news was revealed.  
  
"Not to worry." Aberforth said as he attempted to quiet the crowd again. "I feel that I have found a suitable replacement. I would like everyone to welcome back Professor Remus Lupin."  
  
Lupin stood up and was given a very nice round of applause. Many people had liked him as a professor. Harry looked over at Ron and Hermione and they were both as ecstatic as he was to have their old professor back. Harry felt that Professor Lupin was the last real connection he had to his parents since he was one of his father's best friends. He was the only real Marauder left and to Harry that made him very important.  
  
"Yes, yes welcome back Professor Lupin." Aberforth said as the crowd began to quiet again. "Now not only will Professor Lupin teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, but he will also lead the DA club. We have decided that the DA club will meet every Tuesday and Thursday after dinner and every student regardless of year will be welcome. Now that we have that all taken care of, dig in." With a clap of Aberforth's hands, food appeared on the plates and they had a great breakfast. When they were done eating, Hermione mentioned that they should try and find Lupin to speak to him but it seemed that he was already gone so they headed back to the common room.  
  
When they got there, Dean and a few other students were trying to organize a pickup game of Quidditch. Harry, Ron, and Ginny said that they would play and they all headed outside. It was a beautiful day with the sun shinning brightly and not many clouds in the sky. It was fairly hot, however there was a nice breeze the made it seem much cooler. Hermione and about ten or so other students came out to watch as they played. The whole Gryffindor team ended up playing (including the reserves). Harry decided that he and Ron should be captains and so they picked teams. They played two games, and Harry's team won them both by a slight margin because Harry had caught the snitch both times. Although, Ron was a little frustrated about his team losing, especially since he had only let up two goals the whole time.  
  
Harry spent the rest of the day with Ron in the common room, playing chess. Hermione and Ginny had gone to the library so it gave Harry a chance to mention something to Ron that he had wanted to ask him about for a while now.  
  
"Ron, if you don't mind me asking." Harry said as Ron made a move with his knight that wiped out one of Harry's pawns. "What is going on with Percy?" Harry could see that Ron tensed up when he heard the question and he glared at the chessboard for a minute before he shifted his attention to Harry.  
  
"We don't really know Harry." Ron replied with a lot of emotion in his voice. "After the uh situation at the Ministry last year, Percy resigned from his job and then disappeared. Mum is completely distraught about it. We all figured that after it came out that you and Dumbledore were telling the truth about You Know Who's return, Percy would realize that he was being a bloody git and come home. But he didn't and no one has seen or heard from him."  
  
"I'm sorry Ron." Was the only thing that Harry could think to say. Ron nodded his head and went back to concentrating on the game, which gave Harry the clue that he didn't want to discuss it any longer. Percy had most certainly been a git over the past year, but Harry never thought that he would go this far. Where was he? And why would he turn his back on his family when he knows deep down inside that they would welcome him back with open arms? There were too many questions and not enough answers Harry thought. But at least one questioned was answered today. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was his old friend Mooney.  
  
Author's Note: A lot of people have been calling me evil for my use of cliffhangers, so I thought I would end this chapter without one. I know that this wasn't a terribly exciting chapter but hey at least we got Lupin back. In the next chapter we will have Harry's first Occlumency lesson, which will be very interesting, and Lupin will be back teaching DADA and running the DA. I appreciate your reviews, keep them up. 


	14. Missing Minister

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
Chapter 14  
Missing Minister  
  
Harry woke up fresh Monday morning knowing that he had a big week ahead of him. He looked at his timetable, (because he hadn't memorized it yet) and saw that he had Charms, Transfiguration, and Herbology today. Unfortunately, he didn't have Defense Against the Dark Arts so he would have to wait to talk to Lupin. He also remembered that he had his first Occlumency lesson of the new term with Snape. He was not looking forward to that in the least, but knew that it was necessary.  
  
The day seemed to be moving by at a good pace. In Transfiguration, McGonagall had them transfiguring a beetle into a compass. Harry had a lot more trouble completing the task than he usually would, which seemed to make McGonagall a little suspicious. Harry reasoned that it was probably because he was still adjusting to using a wand that wasn't his.  
  
The rest of the day was pretty ordinary. At one point, Harry, Ron and Hermione had some time after their last class of the day and before dinner, so they stopped in to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom to visit Professor Lupin. However, he wasn't anywhere to be found so they continued on to the Great Hall.  
  
"Harry, hw bawt a gam of chez afr dnnr?" Ron said with a mouthful of found.  
  
"Honestly Ron, manors." Hermione practically shouted. Ron just swallowed his food and mouthed sorry to her.  
  
"I can't Ron, I have detention with Snape remember" Harry gave Ron and Hermione a very knowing look and they both knew right away what he was talking about. They still needed to lie about why Harry would be meeting with Snape because it was clear that Malfoy had no reservations about letting Voldemort know what he was up to. Harry's friends understood and he set off for the dungeon after he was done with his meal.  
  
Harry always hated being in the dungeons. It always seemed darker down there and it was definitely colder. The walls were coated with dirt and were faded. He never understood how someone could spend so much time down there. It might be one explanation for why Snape acts so sour all the time.  
  
When Harry arrived at the Potions classroom, the door was open and Snape was sitting at his desk.  
  
"Hello Mr. Potter" Snape coldly squawked. He had a quill in his hand and was writing something and didn't bother to look up when he addressed Harry, so Harry felt little need to return his acknowledgement. Harry stood there for a few minutes while Snape finished up whatever it was that he was doing and then he got up from his desk and with a swish of his wand the dungeon door crashed shut.  
  
"I trust that you remember why you are here." Snape started. "I will attempt to infiltrate your mind and you must concentrate on throwing me out."  
  
"I understand" Harry responded. He knew that he had to do this even though he didn't like it so he just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.  
  
"Tell me Mr. Potter," Snape said smugly, "have you had anymore visions lately." Harry's thoughts immediately went to his experience when he had collapsed in the Chamber of Secrets but since he didn't remember any visions he may have had, he didn't feel it necessary to tell him.  
  
"No, I haven't"  
  
"Good, then let's begin." Over the next hour Snape continuously entered Harry mind. Harry saw all sorts of visions of his childhood flash before his eyes. A couple of times he passed out and was revived by Snape, but he told the Potions master that he would keep going.  
  
"I think that that will be enough for today." Snape said as he began to walk back to his desk. "Hopefully next time you will do a little better."  
  
"Wait!" Harry shouted as the professor froze in place. Harry was sweating and looked as though he had been in a fight. "Let's try one more time. I thought I might have been able to throw you out of my mind that last time but I just didn't have energy."  
  
"Fine." Snape said as he turned around and stood in front of Harry. Snape was throwing daggers at Harry with his eyes waiting for him to be ready.  
  
"Ok, I'm ready." Harry said and before he could even finish the sentence Snape had entered his mind. He saw many things pass through his mind including Sirius falling through the veil. That memory by itself almost caused Harry to give up as his despair and sorrow over the loss of his godfather crept through his mind. But he didn't let it stop him and he took control of his emotions. Harry now had a picture of Snape in his mind. Now that he could picture who was invading his mind, he knew that he could get him to leave. He started to think of happy memories that would build up his emotions to the point where he could throw Snape out, but then a new vision popped into his head.  
  
Harry saw Death Eaters and Giants and Dementors. The giants were all lying on the ground sleeping. There were at least four of them but Harry couldn't be sure. There were a bunch of Death Eaters to the right of the giants who were having some sort of dueling exhibition. And then there were Dementors who surrounded the Death Eaters and giants in a complete circle. Harry couldn't tell where they were because there wasn't much to go on, however he did see that there were structures that looked like buildings way off in the distance. Before he could get any more details, Snape severed the connection.  
  
"What the hell was that Potter?" Snape yelled. They had both fallen to the ground when the connection was severed so they were both regaining their composure and getting to their feet.  
  
"I don't know." Harry responded calmly. He really didn't know for sure but his instincts told him that those were the visions that made him collapse in the Chamber.  
  
Snape starred at Harry for a while, probably trying to gauge whether or not Harry was lying. "Very well, I need to contact the Order about this, get back to your house." With that Snape twirled his cloak and went stalking into his office and slammed the door. Harry was still a little shaken by the vision he had seen. It was obvious that the Dementors, Giants, and Death Eaters were working together. The question was, where were they and when are they going to strike. Harry thought that the Order who hopefully be able to answer the questions.  
  
As he began to walk back to Gryffindor Tower, Harry decided that since he had an excuse to be out he might as well drop in on Dumbledore. So, he found he way to the familiar bathroom sink and ordered the chamber to open. He noticed that Myrtle was nowhere to be found and thought that she was probably spying on people in the Prefect's bathroom. When the pipe that led to the chamber was revealed, Harry saw that there was a length of rope that was hanging in mid air and extended as far down the pipe as he could see. Harry hadn't thought about how he was going to get back up this time without Fawkes but he was glad that Aberforth had. So Harry jumped down the familiar pipe and was spit out the other end roughly.  
  
He approached Dumbledore's body and saw that he didn't look any different from before. Harry checked to make sure that he was still breathing and then began talking to Dumbledore. He hated seeing his headmaster like this and he was begging him to wake up.  
  
"I don't think I can do it alone." Harry said as he starred at Dumbledore hoping to see some signs of life. "I don't know whose blood that was and I don't know what to do with it." At that moment, Harry thought he saw Dumbledore's eyelid's flicker but then realized that he might have been seeing things. He stayed with Dumbledore for a few minutes more and then he figured he better get back to Gryffindor Tower. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were probably still awake in the common room waiting for him to get back.  
  
He said goodbye to Dumbledore and approached the rope that led back up the pipe. Harry was not looking forward to this climb back up but didn't want to attract attention to himself by calling Fawkes. So he grabbed a hold of the rope to begin the climb and it immediately started to recoil and was shooting him back up the pipe until he was back in the bathroom. Harry thought that that was a pretty nifty idea and thought that he should thank Aberforth next time he saw him.  
  
When he got back to the common room, he saw that Ron and Hermione were indeed waiting up for him, although Ginny was absent.  
  
"How did it go?" Hermione asked as Harry settled into a chair next to his friends.  
  
"It was alright." Harry replied. "I wasn't able to throw him out this time but I definitely got closer." They both shook their heads and then Ron pulled a letter out of his pocket and tossed it to Harry.  
  
"This was delivered by Fred and George's new owl Buster about ten minutes ago." Ron said as Harry looked down at the letter. It was addressed to him, Ron, and Hermione. "We figured we'd wait for you to open it" Harry nodded and tore into the letter. Ron and Hermione had come and sat on either side of him as they all began to read.  
  
Hey guys,  
  
Just wanted to let you know that there was an emergency meeting of the Order called for tonight. We are about to leave now to go to it. We'll report back if we learn anything useful.  
  
F and G  
  
"I wonder what the meeting's about." Hermione said as she looked over at Harry and Ron.  
  
"I'm not sure." Harry responded. He knew exactly what the meeting was about and was finding it harder and harder to lie to his friends. Harry knew that Dumbledore had his reasons for not wanting Harry to tell his friends certain things, but now that he was incapacitated, Harry felt like he needed Ron and Hermione's help. He was starting to feel very alone and vulnerable, but he kept telling himself that he would keep Ron and Hermione out of the loop for their own good. If he told them everything and someone found out what they knew, they would be targets.  
  
"Well, I'm sure well find out tomorrow." Harry said. "We should probably get to bed now."  
  
"Oh my look at the time, I expect we should." Hermione responded as checked her watch and headed towards the girls dormitory. "Sleep well." The boys responded in turn but before Harry could get to the boys dormitory, Ron stopped him.  
  
"Harry, what are you doing about Quidditch?" Ron asked. "We have to start practicing. We have Hufflepuff in a month." Harry had not thought much about Quidditch with everything else on his mind. He had quite enough to worry about.  
  
"Let's have a meeting tomorrow morning before breakfast." Harry said trying to ease Ron's concerns. "When we wake up we'll round everyone up." Ron agreed and the boys headed off to bed for the night.  
  
The next day, Harry woke up early to find that Ron was already awake. Together they rounded up the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team to hold a meeting. When everyone was there, including the reserves, Harry did something that no one would have expected.  
  
"Hi everyone," Harry started. "I wanted to get everyone together because we need to start having practices. We have to play Hufflepuff in about a month. But I wanted to let everyone know that I am not going to be the one to lead us to victory. I have quite enough on my plate right now and I'm afraid that I cannot dedicate enough time to being Gryffindor captain. So I am relinquishing that honor. I think that as a team, we should elect a new captain. Of course everyone's vote counts and everyone can have a say, but I'd like to say that I think Ron would be the best captain." In the past, people might have been angry with Harry, or try to talk him out of it. However, everyone understood that Harry needed to concentrate on other things so no one put up a fight.  
  
Ginny was the first one to speak up. "I think that Ron would be a great choice. After all, he led us to the Quidditch cup last year." Everyone seemed to agree that Ron would be the best person to take over so there was little need for a vote.  
  
"Then it's settled." Harry proclaimed. "Congratulations Ron." Harry reached out and shook Ron's hand fiercely and his friend had a smile plastered across his face. Realizing that he should say something, Ron stepped up and addressed the team.  
  
"Thanks everyone. I think you all know that I will work hard to make this the best team Gryffindor has ever seen. I will schedule a practice sometimes this week when I find out when the pitch is open." With that everyone came up and gave Ron their congratulations and then dispersed. Ron ran off to the owlery to send letters to his brothers and his parents to tell them the news.  
  
"That was a very nice thing to do Harry." Ginny said as she approached Harry smiling.  
  
"Yea, well Ron deserves to be captain. He knows more about Quidditch then anyone and he is definitely passionate about it."  
  
"He's lucky to have such a good friend." She said as she passed by him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. As she walked out the common room door, she turned around and flashed Harry another smile and Harry noticed that she wasn't blushing. It was a good start of the day and now his first class was Defense Against the Dark Arts where he would finally get to see Professor Lupin.  
  
After breakfast, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville all headed off together for their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the year with Professor Lupin. When they arrived, Lupin smiled and waved hello to them and then addressed the entire class.  
  
"Since I was your teacher just a few years ago, I assume that we don't need introductions. We are going to work very hard this year so there is no point in wasting time with pleasantries. Please open your books to chapter two. We are going to work on the Mano Potrificus spell which render if used correctly will render the hand of your foe useless for up to an hour depending on how powerful the spell is. Pair up and take turns aiming the spell at the other person's non-wand hand. This is a spell that is specialized for the hand. If you don't hit the hand, then it will do nothing so make sure your aim is good."  
  
They all paired off and began working on the spell. Harry paired with Neville and was able to hit him square on the second try. It took Neville a few more tries but he was eventually able to get Harry as well. Harry looked over at Ron, who was paired with Hermione. Ron had been successful on his first try and was rubbing it in to Hermione a little. She had tried at least five or six times and was still unable to hit Ron in the hand. Of course her spell was strong enough, but her aim was a little off.  
  
"Alright everyone." The professor stated as the class began to wind down. "Good job today. Remember, there is a DA club meeting tonight after dinner. Everyone is welcome." Most of the class began to talk about what they would learn tonight and got up to leave, but Ron, Hermione, and Harry stuck around to talk to Lupin.  
  
"Hey Professor Lupin, it's great to see you." Ron said as they approached. Lupin gave Ron and Hermione a handshake and then gave a Harry a quick pat on the back.  
  
"Thanks." He responded. "It's great to be back. I love being a teacher and it definitely keeps my mind off a lot of other things." The trio nodded in agreement and then Harry decided to see if he could get any information out of Lupin.  
  
"So professor, is there any news on the escaped death eaters?"  
  
"No, we haven't spotted them anywhere and we have plenty of people on the lookout for them. Especially Malfoy."  
  
"Are the Dementors still at Azkaban?" Hermione added.  
  
"Unfortunately yes." Lupin replied with a grim look on his face. "Fudge dismissed the Dementors who were standing guard at the time of the Death Eaters escape but there are still others that are standing guard." Lupin said that he needed to get ready for his next class so the three students left him and told him that they would see him tonight at the DA meeting. It was clear after their discussion with him that as long as the Dementors were at Azkaban, they would never be able to successfully hold prisoners.  
  
Harry had Potions and then Care of Magical Creatures to round out the day. Snape had looked like he hadn't had any sleep and had the class read from their book for the entire class. Hagrid had them studying Graphorns, which were of course very dangerous animals. Hagrid told them that the skin of a Graphorn could repel most spells that were thrown at it. After class, Hagrid told Harry that he'd made a lot of progress with Grawp and so Harry promised that they would go with Hagrid to visit him in the forest this weekend.  
  
After dinner, most of the school stayed after for the DA meeting. Professor Flitwick, (who was a champion dueler in his day) came along to assist Lupin in leading the group. Flitwick worked with the first through third years and Lupin worked with the fourth through seventh. Lupin had his group practicing dodging spells and putting up quick barriers to block spells. Most of the students were able to pick it up very quickly but it was very physically tiring. By the time Harry made his way back to Gryffindor Tower, he was so exhausted that he fell asleep as soon as he hit the pillow on his four-poster.  
  
The next morning, Harry came down to the common room to find Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Ron as well as many other students reading the Daily Prophet. He immediately went over to his friends to find out what all the fuss was about. Ron had a big smile on his face as Harry approached so he figured it must be good news.  
  
"Hey mate. Read this." Ron said handing Harry the paper. The headline alone was enough to make Harry happy.  
  
Umbridge Found Guilty; Fudge Flees Dolores Umbridge was found guilty and sentenced to six months in Azkaban after the Wizengamot found that she recklessly endangered Harry Potter when she sent Dementors to Surrey last year. Although, her sentence was reduced  
  
when it was determined that Cornelius Fudge was responsible for ordering  
the  
Dementor attack. Charges have been brought up against the Minister of  
Magic Cornelius Fudge, however; before he could be brought in for questioning he  
has apparently vanished. Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law  
Enforcement, said that they are making every effort to bring Cornelius  
Fudge in  
to face these allegations. As for now, the Wizengamot will elect a new  
Minister  
of Magic who will serve on a temporary basis until these charges are  
straightened  
out and a fair election is held. The leading candidates to take  
on the temporary position  
are Arthur Weasley, Head of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, and Mafalda  
Hopkirk,  
Improper Use of Magic Office. The decision will be made at a meeting  
this Sunday.  
  
"This is excellent." Harry shouted as he looked around at the Happy faces around him. He swooped Ginny up into a big hug and Ron did the same to Hermione. "Hopefully your dad will be elected and he could bring some sanity back to the Wizarding World." They all agreed with Harry's sentiments and they set out for the Great Hall to have breakfast. On the way, students who they didn't even know kept coming up to Ron and Ginny and telling them to wish their dad luck. The Great Hall was buzzing and Harry was so engrossed in a conversation with Dean that he didn't even notice Fred and George's Owl come to deliver another letter.  
  
"Harry, meet me outside." Ron said as motioned to Harry with a letter in his hand. Ron made a motion for Hermione to follow as well and she did so with a nod. "We need a place to talk."  
  
"Let's go right here." Hermione said pointing to a nearby broom closet. The three students filed in Hermione put a quick silencing charm on the room.  
  
"What's going on?" Harry said once they were inside.  
  
"You tell me." Ron said as he handed the letter to Harry. Harry read it and realized that he had some explaining to do.  
  
H, R, Hr,  
  
We went to the meeting last night and it turns out that it was to discuss the vision that you had. There is a lot of concern that you know who is getting ready to strike. Make sure you guys are on alert and ready. We'll write again when we find out more.  
  
F and G  
  
"What visions!" Hermione practically yelled at Harry.  
  
"That's exactly what I wanted to know." Ron added. Harry starred at them and took a deep breath. He would have to tell them everything. He couldn't risk keeping them in the dark any longer.  
  
"Alright, meet me in Myrtle's bathroom after your last class today." Harry said in a very serious tone. "Ginny and Neville will also have to come so alert them too okay." Harry's friends nodded in agreement and without another word Harry left. The rest of the day went by very slowly. Harry did not say another word to any of his friends the rest of the day and they were giving him strange looks. After his last class, which was Potions, he made his way to Myrtle's bathroom with Hermione walking along side him. When they got there, they saw that Ginny, Ron, and Neville were already there. Harry noticed that Ginny was starring off into space and didn't seem to even be aware that he had walked in.  
  
Harry made his way over to the sink that opened up the Chamber of Secrets and briefly fingered the snake that was etched on the side of the faucet before he turned around and addressed his four friends who were looking very anxious.  
  
"There are some things that you need to know. You may be angry at first when you hear it, but I need you to realize that when I kept things from you, I thought it was for the best. Dumbledore even told me that I was not to tell anyone these secrets, even you. I need you to know that it's not that I don't trust you, but rather I'm afraid what might happen to you if anyone finds out you know these things."  
  
Hermione spoke up. "Then why tell us now." Ron shot her an annoyed look.  
  
"Because you guys are all I have, and I can't do it without you." Harry responded, as he looked each one of them in the eye.  
  
"Do what?" Ginny said.  
  
"Kill Voldemort." After that statement, his friends looked at him intently but no one could say a word. Harry turned to the sink and told it to open. The pipe was revealed and Harry turned to see his stunned friends looking at him.  
  
"Follow Me."  
  
Author's Note: I hope you liked this chapter. If you ever have any questions about the story, feel free to ask and I will answer them before the next chapter. Keep reviewing. Thanks 


	15. Secrets Revealed

Dalf- In response to your comment, yes Umbridge did tell the students that Fudge did not know that she sent the Dementors in OOP. However, for the purposes of my story, when Umbridge was brought to trial she would do anything to cover her own ass including accusing the minister. As to why Fudge would skip town if he wasn't guilty, I don't want to give too much away but let's just say there's a story behind his disappearance.  
  
Melindaleo- Harry had a lot on his mind obviously and he didn't think about how being back in the chamber would affect Ginny. But he's about to find out!  
  
  
  
Chapter 15  
  
Secrets Revealed  
  
Harry approached the pipe ready to jump down; when he realized that no one except Ron had come forward. Of course Hermione had heard all about their trip down the chamber in their second year, but she had never seen it up close. Neville was frozen in place and looked as though Hermione had hit him with another Petrificus Totalis spell. And Ginny had tears welling up in her eyes as she starred intensely at Harry.  
  
"Don't worry." Ron screeched as he grabbed Hermione by the hand and led her to the front of the pipe. "I'll go first and then you follow." Hermione nodded in agreement as Ron jumped down the pipe with a scream. She followed after looking in Harry's direction and getting an affirmative nod.  
  
"Neville, are you okay?" Harry said as he approached the boy and began to lightly shake him. Neville seemed to snap out of it a little and averted his attention off the pipe and to Harry.  
  
"What is this Harry? What is going on?" The tone of Neville's voice showed more shock than fear.  
  
"This is the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets Neville." Harry responded. "Just trust me and jump down the pipe. I'll explain everything shortly." Neville had always looked up to Harry and in an effort to show his loyalty he quickly agreed and jumped down the pipe to join Ron and Hermione.  
  
"Ginny, I'm sorry. It didn't occur to me that this would affect you this much. But don't worry; we are all here with you this time. Nothing can hurt you." Harry said as he extended his hand out to Ginny. Initially, she didn't make any movements at all. Then as Harry began to pull his hand away, she threw her arms around his neck and began to cry forcefully on his shoulder.  
  
"I can't do it Harry. There's nothing but bad memories down there. A lot of students almost died because of me. I just, I can't do it."  
  
Harry continued to hold her as tight as he could. He didn't know what to say right away so he just reassured her that it would be all right. He noticed that all the color had drained from her face and her tears were soaking the top of his robes.  
  
"Ginny." Harry said as he gently pulled her away from him and looked deeply into her eyes. "I know there's bad memories down there for you. I have some of those same memories. But we beat Tom last time we were down there. He's gone. He's not coming back. If you can't follow me down there, I understand. But I want you to know that I need you by my side just as much as I need Ron and Hermione." She starred at him for a few seconds and slowly the color began to come back to her face. She wiped away some tears and nodded her head.  
  
"Alright then Harry," she replied, her voice still cracking a little. "I trust you."  
  
Harry grabbed her hand and led her to the edge of the pipe. She was about to jump down, but before she did Harry squeezed her hand tightly and then kissed her. She responded to him immediately by putting her hands on the back of his head and pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. When they released, Ginny smiled and quickly jumped down the pipe. Harry delayed for a second before following and thought to himself that at that moment he could handle just about anything that came his way.  
  
As Harry was flung out of the sludge filled pipe and landed on the cement floor of the Chamber, he saw his four friends starring back and forth between him and Dumbledore's body with curious looks on their faces. Harry was trying to figure out how he was going to begin his explanation. However, before he could start, Hermione spoke up.  
  
"Who is this Harry?" She said as she looked down at the body of their fallen headmaster.  
  
"Before I explain, I need for you all to understand something. Once I tell you everything there is no going back. The knowledge could be dangerous. If anyone finds out what you know, it could lead to torture or even death. I don't mean to scare you but it's the truth. If any of you don't want to know, I will understand." All four of them shook their head and gave Harry their consent to continue.  
  
Harry walked towards the bed where Dumbledore lay and surveyed him to see if there had been any improvement. He picked up his hand, which was ice cold and checked that he still had a pulse. It was still there but was very faint.  
  
"This is Dumbledore Hermione. He never really recovered from his coma as you can see. However, before I get into this, I want to start from the beginning."  
  
There were large stones that came out from the wall around the room, which could be used to sit down on. Harry walked over to the wall and sat on one of the stones. The others, sensing that they should follow suite, sat down as well. Harry starred at Ginny for a second trying to get the strength to tell his tale.  
  
"The first thing that you need to know is that I know the prophecy. After my confrontation with Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries, Dumbledore sent me back to his office. He told me that he was the witness to the prophecy. Professor Trelawney made it a long time ago. So he was able to recite the prophecy to me. I have gone over it my head enough times so I have memorized it by now." Harry braced himself to tell his friends the prophecy, but it was not easy.  
  
"Go ahead Harry." Ginny said as she got up and sat down next to Harry grabbing hold of his hand.  
  
"Alright, here goes." Harry responded with a nod. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."  
  
As he finished up, he looked up to see very confused looks on the faces of Ron and Neville. They obviously didn't realize exactly what the prophecy meant. Hermione's face had fallen as if she had just witnessed her best friend die.  
  
"What does it mean Harry?" Neville was the first person brave enough to speak up.  
  
"Well Neville, before I tell you what it means I should tell you that when the prophecy was made, no one was sure who it was about. There were two families that denied Voldemort three times and had a child born at the end of July. The Potters and the Longbottoms. The prophecy never specifically states that I am the one who has the power to vanquish Voldemort."  
  
"Are you tra tryin to say that this could be about me?" Neville exclaimed. Harry saw all the blood rush up to Neville's face and he thought that he could almost hear his heart beating rapidly.  
  
"I'm not sure to tell you the truth Neville. The decision was made that the prophecy must be about me because it says that the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal and I of course have this scar. In all likelihood, I am the one that the prophecy is referring to, but I thought that you should be aware that you met the criteria as well."  
  
"I still don't understand what the prophecy exactly means." Ron proclaimed.  
  
"What it means Ron," Hermione voice started to crack a little, "is that whomever the prophecy is about, will have to either kill Voldemort or be killed."  
  
"Exactly." Harry added. He heard Ginny sniffle beside him and saw a tear welling up in the corner of Hermione's eyes. "Don't worry. I don't plan on being killed and that is why I chose to tell you guys everything. Ron, Hermione, I could never have gotten through all the years at Hogwarts without you. You have saved my ass on many occasions and I know that if I'm going to kill Voldemort I am going to need you. Ginny, you've proven yourself to be a very loyal and powerful companion. Coming down here shows how brave and trusting you are."  
  
Ron was beaming proudly and Hermione's spirits it seemed had risen. Ginny continued to sob quietly but her facial expression told Harry that she was more inspired than sad. Then Harry tuned his attention to Neville.  
  
"Neville, you were right by my side last year when I truly needed you. You're a lot better wizard than you give yourself credit for. Something tells me that you are going to be more important to this war than any of us could know" Neville lifted up his head and straightened his chest and gave Harry an affirmative nod. "I'm going to need you all if we are going to be successful.  
  
The five teens sat there in silence for a few minutes as they contemplated Harry's words.  
  
"Alright then. I have much more to explain to all of you."  
  
"Can we get to Dumbledore yet?" Hermione asked. "I would really like to know who has been impersonating the headmaster."  
  
"Ok Hermione. Here goes." Harry replied. "When Dumbledore came to Grimmauld Place this summer and collapsed it was because he went to find the spear of Isis. He was ambushed and it took all the energy he had to get back with the spear and stay alive."  
  
"Wait a minute Harry." Ron interrupted. "What the heck is the spear of Eyeses?"  
  
"The Spear of Isis Ron." Hermione corrected him. "It's a legendary spear. See Ron a long time ago there was a man named ..."  
  
"It's a long story." Harry cut off Hermione. He wasn't surprised that Hermione knew exactly what the spear was, but he didn't feel a lengthy explanation was needed. "Basically, this spear was used to kill a man that was trying avoid death in a similar way to Voldemort. Dumbledore felt that this spear could kill Voldemort." Hermione nodded and Harry could tell that she was a little upset that she didn't get to give a full explanation.  
  
"So Dumbledore actually has the spear?" Hermione asked excitedly. "As far as I knew, the spear was just a legend. No one had ever actually found it."  
  
"Actually, Hermione. I have it." Harry said as he pulled the necklace out from under his robe and showed it to them. "Dumbledore transfigured it. It takes a simple incantation to transform it back."  
  
"This is great!" Ron jumped in excitedly. "I mean I know it won't be easy but if we can find a way to stab Voldemort with that thing we can kill him."  
  
"Actually Ron, it's not that easy." Harry replied. "First we need to find a way to get Voldemort's blood. Then we need to combine it with my own blood. And just to make things a little tougher, we'll have to stab Voldemort in the heart with it."  
  
"Oh Harry, this is impossible." Hermione spoke up. "How are we going to be able to accomplish all this?"  
  
"We can talk about that later. First I need to finish the story." Hermione nodded in agreement and Harry noticed that Neville and Ginny were unusually quite this whole time. They didn't have as much experience dealing with crucial situations as Harry, Ron and Hermione did and it was probably a little overwhelming.  
  
"So Dumbledore was set up and was ambushed by Death Eaters when he went to get the spear which is how we know that there is a traitor in the Order. Dumbledore only shared the information about the spear with the Order and no one else. Then he gave the spear to me. I knew that at some point, somehow I would have to get Voldemort's blood in order for the spear to work, but Dumbledore and I never worked out a plan. Then the next thing I knew he relapsed into a coma. No one knows why."  
  
Ron got up and made his way over to Dumbledore's body. "If this is Dumbledore then who is up there running the school?"  
  
"Quoting him, he's also Dumbledore. Just not Albus."  
  
Upon hearing this, Ginny and Neville looked absolutely puzzled. Harry figured that they probably didn't even know that Dumbledore had a brother. Ron's face was contorting into different shapes as he tried to figure out what Harry meant, and Harry could tell that Hermione had figured it already.  
  
"Aberforth?" Hermione said with a sly smile.  
  
"Yes." Harry responded and turned to Neville and Ginny to explain. "You see, Dumbledore has a brother named Aberforth. Apparently he has been working under cover for the Order for years. He has worked as the bartender at the Hog's Head for all these years. And this year he took on another undercover job. He became Professor Abe Altesterio, teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts."  
  
"Professor Altesterio is Dumbledore's brother?" Neville asked. Harry could see that he was still trying to take all this in.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"This is unbelievable Harry." Ron said as he came over and sat down once again. "I don't know how you could keep all this to yourself."  
  
"It wasn't easy Ron. But like I said before, I was doing what I thought was best." He could tell that both his best friends felt a little betrayed that they weren't told all this earlier. But he figured they would go easy on him this time.  
  
"So is Professor Alt-, er Aberforth using Polyjuice potion to impersonate Dumbledore?" Hermione asked.  
  
"No, actually it's amazing how closely they resemble each other. Aberforth simply grew his beard and put on Dumbledore's robe and glasses."  
  
"So where do we go from here?" Ginny barked out suddenly as if she had just broken out of a trance.  
  
"Actually, there's one more thing." Harry said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a vile of blood. "Aberforth found this on Dumbledore after he collapsed."  
  
"Do you think that could be Va Vol Voldemort's blood?" Neville stammered.  
  
"I don't know." Harry replied. "It would certainly make things a lot easier on us. But no matter if it is or it isn't, Dumbledore had it for a reason and we need to find out."  
  
Hermione was already working it out in her head. "There must be a way to identify the blood. Of course I'll need to get into the restricted section of the library."  
  
"That shouldn't be a problem." Harry added. "I'll get a note from Aberforth." Harry got up and began to walk over to the tunnel as if to indicate that it was time to go. Neville and Ginny followed closely behind, however Ron and Hermione didn't budge.  
  
"Hold it Potter." Ron squawked out. Hearing his best mate call him by his last name eerily reminded him of Malfoy. "You haven't told us about your vision with Snape." Harry stopped dead in his tracks and quickly returned.  
  
"My God your right." Harry said as though he was talking to himself. "That is the most important thing." Ginny and Neville came back and Harry started to explain the vision he'd had of the giants, Dementors and Death Eaters while going through Occlumency lessons with Snape.  
  
"Do you think it was real Harry?" Ron asked.  
  
"Yea. Voldemort would have no reason to plant a vision like that in my head." Harry started pacing back and forth in front of his friends. "I think that it's clear that Voldemort is assembling an army. He is going to strike it's just a question of when."  
  
"You don't think he'd attack Hogwarts do you?" Ginny asked nervously.  
  
"I don't know. I don't think that he would as long as Dumbledore is here but we have to prepare either way. Aberforth and Professor Lupin know what is at stake so they are going to teach us as much as they can but I also had another idea. I think that we should meet ourselves once a week to do some extra training for a couple of hours. Just the five of us. Hermione, I'm sure you can find a few books in the restricted section that will help us." Hermione nodded.  
  
"What about Luna." Neville asked. "She helped just as much as anyone last year."  
  
"Of course you're right Neville." Harry said shaking his head. He we embarrassed to admit to himself that he had forgotten about Luna. "We'll ask Luna if she wants to participate as well."  
  
Everyone seemed satisfied and Ron started to lead the way towards the pipe. However, this time it was Harry that stopped them all.  
  
"Before we go back, I just want to reiterate that no one must find out that Aberforth is impersonating Dumbledore. If it somehow gets back to Voldemort, we'll have Death Eaters here before you can say Quidditch." Harry knew that they all understood how crucial this was but he had to say it nonetheless.  
  
Ron was looking at the pipe with the rope coming out of it and studying it. "How are we supposed to get out of here Harry? Climb this rope?" As he finished this sentence he had reached out and grabbed the rope with one hand. He was immediately shot up through the pipe but must have lost his grip because he came flying down the pipe and crashed on to the cement floor.  
  
"Sorry mate. I guess I forgot to mention that." Harry said with a chuckle. The whole group enjoyed a nice laugh including Ron who was able to find the humor in the situation after a few seconds of rubbing his head. Ron was brave enough to go first even after his experience and as he grabbed hold of the rope he quickly disappeared from the chamber. Hermione and Neville followed his example, which left Harry and Ginny alone at the bottom of the Chamber. Ginny approached the rope but Harry stopped her by grabbing her hand before she could touch it.  
  
"I just wanted to say thank you for being so brave." Harry said with a smile. Ginny returned the smile and then motioned at the rope.  
  
"I think going up looks scarier then going down." They both laughed briefly.  
  
"Don't worry it's actually fun." Harry added. He put his arm around Ginny and squeezed her closely to him. As he turned his attention back to the rope, he noticed that Fawkes had appeared.  
  
"Hey Fawkes." Harry said as the beautiful Phoenix perched itself on his shoulder. Harry stroked her under her beak briefly. She jumped up off Harry's shoulder and flashed her tail towards the pair.  
  
"I think he's here to give us a ride." Ginny said as she flashed Harry a smile. Harry grabbed on to the tail of Fawkes and then reached out his hand to Ginny.  
  
"Are you ready"  
  
She ignored the hand and instead wrapped her arms around Harry's waist. And a second later they were flying back up the chamber. 


	16. New Administration

Chapter 16 New Administration  
  
The morning after his meeting in the Chamber with his friends, Harry felt more confident than he had in ages. It was a great relief to know that he had people who could help relieve some of the burdens that he lived with everyday. It was a difficult descion when Harry decided to let his friends in on his secrets. However, the tasks ahead of him were far too great for one boy to handle.  
  
The first thing Harry did when he woke up was go to Aberforth's office. Hermione said that she would take care of finding a way to identify the blood that Harry was in possession of, and that she needed access to the restricted section of the library. Harry asked Aberforth if he could sign a note that would grant himself, Ron, and Hermione permission to research in the restricted section of the library. Harry never told Aberforth what they were researching, and he never asked. He wasn't sure whether Aberforth would have agreed with his decision to tell his friends the truth about everything and he was glad that Aberforth never asked.  
  
"I got it." Harry said as he approached the Gryffindor table in the Great hall to show his friends that he had gotten permission to study in the restricted section of the library.  
  
"Excellent." Hermione said. "Then we'll be able to start our search this weekend."  
  
"Alright." Ron said as he proceeded to jam at least 5 sausage links into his mouth. Hermione gave him a quick glance and this time he swallowed what was in his mouth before he continued. "But it can't be Friday. I reserved the Quidditch pitch. We have to start training hard." Harry and Ginny both nodded in agreement.  
  
"Well we have a pretty busy week ahead of us." Harry said. "DA meeting tomorrow, Quidditch on Friday, and on Saturday I told Hagrid that we would go with him to visit Gra, ah er his friend."  
  
"Who?" Ginny asked.  
  
"You'll see." Harry responded with a smile. Ron and Hermione giggled a little too and Ginny looked frustrated. "Don't worry, you'll find out" Harry reassured her with a few light pats on her hand and she conceded.  
  
Classes the rest of the week went very fast because there was a lot to do. Homework was beginning to pile up for all of them, especially Ginny who was preparing to take her Owl's this year. They all spent a lot of time in the common room or the library and Harry would stay around and help Ginny when he was done with his own work.  
  
On Friday after class, the Gryffindor Quidditch team came together for a very spirited practice. Ron had them all practicing drills, and going reviewing plays that he had come up with. He even had a play where Harry would feint a move towards the Snitch and be fed the Quaffle for what Ron said would be an easy goal. It was a clever play, but was dangerous. If the other seeker didn't buy Harry's fake, then Harry would be out of position if the Snitch really did appear.  
  
The practice lasted about four hours and all the members of the team were thoroughly exhausted when they got back to the Gryffindor common room. Ron and Harry went straight to bed and suggested that Ginny do the same since they were going to visit Hagrid in the morning. Her eyes lit up as she remembered that there was some secret person that she was going to meet tomorrow.  
  
After breakfast the next morning, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny headed off towards Hagrid's hut. They had asked Neville to come along but he said that he had too much homework to catch up on and so he would be in the library all day. They promised to meet up with him later as they had some research to do in the restricted section.  
  
They knocked on the door and Hagrid came out and greeted them all happily.  
  
"How er ya all doin." Hagrid bellowed as he patted Ron on the shoulder and almost knocked him down. "I expect Grawp will be quite pleased to see the lot of you. He gets bored havin to jst talk ter me all day."  
  
"Who is Grawp?" Ginny asked. Hagrid gave her a curious look and turned to the other three.  
  
"You havin told her? Well I giss that might er been a good idea. Be cautious. Lets go." Hagrid threw his crossbow over his shoulder and led the four students into the forbidden forest. He could tell that Ginny was a little nervous, especially after seeing Hagrid hoist up the crossbow and so Harry grabbed hold of her hand to ease her comfort.  
  
They strolled pretty deep into the forest. Harry estimated that they had been walking for about twenty minutes when they finally came to a clearing.  
  
"Here we ar." Hagrid said. There were uprooted trees around, but Harry didn't see Grawp anywhere and he was not a hard person to miss.  
  
"What's going on?" Ron said bewildered. Harry saw that Hagrid was looking at a small tent that was sitting in the middle of the clearing but it wasn't even big enough to fit Grawp's foot.  
  
"They're right in there. Follow me." Hagrid had to crawl to get into the tent, which like many other things in the magical world was not what it seemed to be. Hermione stopped Harry and Ron before they had a chance to follow him in.  
  
"Did he just say they?" Hermione asked. "I don't know if I want to go in there." Harry gave her a nervous smile and grabbed Ginny. They entered the tent with Ron and Hermione right on their heels.  
  
When they entered the magically enhanced tent, Harry was astonished to see that it was almost an exact replica of Hagrid's hut, but was scaled to accommodate Grawp. The ceilings were at least 40 feet high. Harry found it comical that even Hagrid looked tiny in proportion to the rest of the house.  
  
Harry scanned the rest of the room until his eyes came upon not one, but two giants sitting at a table together. He looked over at his friends and noticed that they were all starring with there mouths open. Ginny especially looked shocked. She had not blinked since they entered the tent.  
  
"Grawp." Hagrid said calling the attention of his not so little brother. "You remember Harry and Hermione." The pair came forward and stood next to Hagrid as Grawp wrapped on the table with his hand in delight.  
  
"Hermy, Harry." Grawp yelled as he stood up from his chair. He came over towards the group and got on one knee. Harry and Hermione flinched initially, but then were comforted when Grawp extended out his hand to the pair. Harry and Hermione both grabbed one of his fingers and were almost knocked off their feet when Grawp made a subtle shaking motion with his hand.  
  
"An these folks over here are Ron and Ginny." Ron and Ginny came forward and followed the example of Harry and Hermione.  
  
"I tought him ta shake hands this summer. He's pretty good at controlling his own strength now."  
  
"He's doing great." Hermione said to Hagrid with a smile.  
  
"Uh Uh." The other giant who was sitting at the table cleared her throat and it sounded like a fire alarm was going off.  
  
"Oh, right I'm sorry." Hagrid exclaimed. "Everyone, this is Granua." The giantess came forward and bowed in front of the students. She was probably a foot or two taller than Grawp and she had long blond her that extended halfway down her back. She was wearing a sort of dress made of fur that had a strap that went over one of her shoulders and left her arms and the bottom of her legs exposed. Her eyes were a deep dark green and she had a few scars on her face and arms.  
  
"Nice to meet you." She said in a loud but pleasant voice. They exchanged pleasantries and then Granua went back and sat down at the table where Grawp quickly joined her.  
  
"I met Granua this summer through Olympe. I reckon me find'n Grawp here inspired her to find some family of her own. Granua is Olympe's cousin. She's helped Grawp a lot. They train together in the forest everyday. Yep, I expect Grawp will be a major asset now against Voldemort."  
  
Ginny was still in a little bit of shock and was still having a hard time blinking, so they all sat down and told her the story of Hagrid and Madame Maxime's encounter last year with the giants. Ginny was fasinated by the story. Grawp sat very comfortably throughout the whole story. He had calmed down a lot since last year. It was clear that Granua was a lot more civilized than Grawp and it was apparent that her influence was rubbing off on him.  
  
They bid Grawp and Granua goodbye and promised that they would visit again, and head off back out of the forest behind Hagrid.  
  
"All right you three." Ginny said in a sort of sarcastic voice. "I'm getting sick of all these surprises. Is there anything or anyone else that I should know about?"  
  
"As long as we don't run into Aragog, I think you'll be okay" Harry smirked in Ron's direction.  
  
"Don't mention that name." Ron replied quivering. They whole rest of the trip back to the castle; they ignored Ginny's questions about who Aragog was.  
  
Once they settled back in at the castle, Hermione suggested that they get to work in the library. When they arrived, the grabbed Neville who was reading by himself in the corner and headed over to Madam Pince to get access to the restricted section.  
  
"All five of you!" Madam Pince practically shouted as she examined the notes authenticity. "I don't know why we even have a restricted section." She was muttering as she unlocked the door and allowed the children to enter.  
  
"Let's get started." Hermione said as she made her way over to a corner of the section. "Remember, we are looking for a way to identify blood." They all nodded and each picked out a section to get to work on.  
  
About five hours and dozens of piles of books later, they had found nothing. Harry's stomach was growling and he was certain that the others were probably famished as well so he was about to call it a night until he saw Hermione scribbling feverishly on a piece of parchment.  
  
"Hermione, what is it?" Harry screamed. The others dropped what they were doing and focused on Hermione as well. "Did you find something?"  
  
"No, not about the blood." Hermione answered. "But I did find something that could be useful." They all sat there as she finished writing and waited for her to let them in on her discovery.  
  
"Well go on Hermione, what is it?" Ron asked.  
  
"It's time for me to have a secret of my own for now." Hermione smiled. "You'll find out, don't worry." They were all too tired to argue so they packed up the books and headed back to Gryffindor tower. They decided that they would resume their search tomorrow after a good nights rest.  
  
Harry did dream that night, but when he woke up he couldn't remember any specific details. The only thing that he could remember was that Dumbledore had made an appearance in his dream. He thought that he should probably go check on him today if he got the chance.  
  
Sunday was usually a day that Harry and Ron would spend catching up on their homework. But they had stayed up to date on it this year so they were able to use Sunday to relax. Ginny still had homework to catch up on and Harry offered to help her but she said that it was on Arithmacy so she would have to ask Hermione for help.  
  
Ron asked Harry to go flying with him and he agreed so they headed out to the Quidditch pitch which was practically abandoned except for a couple of Ravenclaw's chasers who were doing laps around the stadium. Ron brought a Quaffle with him and Harry tried different maneuvers to attempt to score on him. Harry got a couple past him, but it was clear that Ron had turned into an incredible keeper. It was going to be hard to stop the Gryffindor Quidditch team this year.  
  
When they got back to the common room, they noticed Ginny and Hermione sitting in front of the fireplace so they made their way over to them.  
  
"Good, you're back." Hermione said once she noticed their presence. "Should we go back to the library now and continue the search."  
  
"Yea lets go." Harry replied. The girls got up and followed Harry and Ron out of the common room. "Where's Neville?"  
  
"I don't know." Ginny answered. "Hermione and I have been in the common room all this time and we never saw him. Maybe his is already in the library." Harry nodded and they continued on to the library, but were interrupted by a plea to stop walking from behind them before they arrived.  
  
"The headmaster would like to see you all." Professor McGonagall said once she caught up with them. "Follow me."  
  
"What's this all about?" Ron asked as they continued their journey through the halls.  
  
"I have no idea Mr. Weasley." She replied with an air of annoyance in her voice.  
  
She led them to Dumbledore's office and gave the password. Soon they were all ascending the familiar spiral staircase that led to the headmaster's private quarters.  
  
When they got there, Harry saw Aberforth (Impersonating Dumbledore as usual) sitting at his desk with Hagrid sitting across from him.  
  
"Mr. Weasley, Miss Weasley, I have some good news for you and for all of us." Aberforth started. "Your father has just been elected as the temporary Minister of Magic." They all began to shout and celebrate including Hagrid who grabbed Ginny and tossed her up in the air.  
  
"This is great." Ron said. "Can we talk to my dad through the fire? You know to congratulate him?'  
  
"I'll do you one better." Aberforth continued. "Your parents have asked that the four of you be able to attend a victory celebration at the Burrow tonight and I have granted their request. Hagrid has agreed to accompany you and I was going to ask Professor McGonagall if she would like to attend as well."  
  
"That's a nice offer." McGonagall replied. "But I would feel better staying here. The castle must be protected."  
  
"I can assure you, that the castle is more than safe in my hands Minerva." Aberforth said with a cautious look. "I invite you to go if you so desire."  
  
"If it's all the same headmaster, I will stay." She replied as she turned her attention to Ron and Ginny. "But I hope you will offer your father my congratulations"  
  
"Of course we will." Ginny said happily. With that, Professor McGonagall exited the office and the students turned their attention back to Aberforth.  
  
"When do we leave?" Harry asked.  
  
"Whenever you are ready." Aberforth replied. He reached for two old looking candlesticks and tossed them one at a time to Hagrid. "These are portkeys. The first will take you to the Burrow and the second will return you home. Be safe." They nodded and Hagrid threw one of the candlesticks in his pocket and presented the other one to the group. One by one, they grabbed hold and a few seconds later, Harry felt the familiar tugging behind his navel and they landed at the Burrow.  
  
They arrived in the kitchen of the Burrow and noticed that there was no one inside the house.  
  
"I think I hear noise coming from outside." Ginny said. "We should head out there." They all agreed and so Hagrid led them out to the backyard. When they were outside, Harry observed that there were about thirty people there. There were tables set up with food and drinks, and there were other tables where people were sitting down talking. Harry also noticed some familiar faces including Mad Eyed Moody and Tonks. There were also a bunch of people, probably ministry employees, who Harry didn't recognize.  
  
"Oh Arthur look they're here." Molly Weasley shouted as she and Mr. Weasley made their way over to the group. "I'm so glad that you could come." She pulled her two children into a huge bear hug and then advanced on to Harry and Hermione where she did the same.  
  
"Congratulations." Harry said as he extended his hand out to Mr. Weasley. He shook it and then exchanged pleasantries with his children and Hagrid.  
  
"Thanks everyone for coming." Mr. Weasley started. "This is an important day. We have a lot of work to do to straighten up the ministry." They all continued with small talk until Mr. Weasley grabbed his wife and led her around the party. "We have to entertain. You all understand. There's plenty to eat and drink. Have fun."  
  
Ginny grabbed Hermione and they went to talk to Tonks while Harry and Ron walked around the party. They went to one of the food tables to grab a butterbeer and were startled from behind by two sets of hands.  
  
"Hey mates great news huh." Fred said as he grabbed a butterbeer for himself and his brother.  
  
"It sure is." Harry said as he leaned in to talk to Fred so that no one else could hear him. "Thanks for keeping us informed."  
  
"No problem." Fred said with a wink.  
  
"How is our little Ronnykins" George said as he muffled Ron's hair up. "New captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, we're so proud."  
  
"Shut up George." Ron replied as he threw George's hand off his head.  
  
"So, anything new to report?" Harry asked changing the subject to rescue Ron.  
  
"Actually, there are a few things we wanted to show you guys. Why don't you come with us into the house." George said. They followed him into the house and up the stairs until they got to Ron's room.  
  
"We've been using your room to create some of our new inventions little brother, we hope you don't mind." Fred said with a sort of sadistic smile. Ron was a little alarmed and pushed passed his brothers through the door. His room looked more like a lab for a mad scientist than a bedroom. The room was very dark and there were at least five cauldrons that were bubbling up. There was a desk that was covered with a large blue tarp, which obviously had some of their inventions underneath.  
  
"What happened to my bed, and all my stuff?" Ron screamed as he surveyed his room.  
  
"Sorry about that Ron." George responded. "We put your stuff in the shed out back. Don't worry we'll return everything back to normal."  
  
"Eventually." Fred added with a smile.  
  
"So what did you want to show us?" Harry asked. Ron was still pacing around the room trying to find something that would confirm that this was indeed his room at one point.  
  
"We've been working on a few things." George said as he pulled the tarp of the table. There were many gadgets sitting on top of the table and Harry couldn't tell what any of them were.  
  
"I call this the Weasley wand catcher." Fred said as he handed the instrument over to Harry. To Harry it looked a lot like a muggle garage door opener. It was a circular black piece of hard plastic with a button in the middle.  
  
"Go ahead, point it at Ron and push the button." George said. Ron looked terrified as Harry pointed it at him. He pushed the button and Ron's wand flew out of the pocket inside his robe and right into Harry's hand.  
  
"See it works sort of like a magnet." Fred chimed in. "It works with every type wand we've found so far. It's better than a disarming charm because you don't even have to say anything. It takes people completely off guard."  
  
"It's brilliant." Harry said as he examined it further. He reached over to give it back but George just shook his head.  
  
"Keep it." He said. He reached over to the table and picked up another one and tossed it to Ron. "Here's one for you to little brother." Ron caught it and put it in his pocket but didn't say a word. He was most likely still a little pissed off about the room.  
  
"Let's see what else do we have here." George said as he looked over the table.  
  
"Show them the assortment of Weasley's...." Fred was cut off by a large loud explosion that came from outside. The four of them ran to the window but couldn't see anything outside except flames because a tree outside the window was on fire. Harry and Ron ran for the door while Fred and George vanished with a pop. They burst through the back door and when they got outside they saw, total chaos.  
  
Author's note: I hope everyone likes the chapter. There is going to be some action in the next chapter so stay tuned. Thanks for the reviews. I always enjoy reading people's comments and questions. 


	17. A Big Sacrifice

Chapter 17  
A Big Sacrifice  
  
As soon as Harry and Ron opened the door, they saw nothing but total chaos. There were trees engulfed in flames and it seemed that people had turned the tables on their sides to provide cover from fired curses.  
  
Harry's first instinct was to look for Hermione and Ginny since they had been separated earlier. He did a quick scan of the grounds, but before he could finish, he was launched onto the ground by Ron who had come out the back door behind. A jet of red light narrowly missed the pair and instead struck the door, which was impaled with a large whole. Harry was very quickly snapped out of the trance that had overtaken him initially upon seeing the grim scene.  
  
"That was close. Thanks." Harry said as he and Ron got back on their feet and sought cover quickly behind a broken piece of table. There were hexes hitting the table at a steady pace which left Ron and Harry in a vulnerable position with no place to go.  
  
"We need to move Harry." Ron said as he pocked his head around the table to take a look at the scene and then quickly pulled it back to avoid getting hit. "It seems that there is a large contingency of people over by the shed behind a table that looks like it has been expanded about twenty yards from here."  
  
Ron peered around the corner once more but was not as lucky getting back this time. He was hit with a curse that glanced off his right shoulder.  
  
"Ah!" He screamed as he grabbed his shoulder with his other hand. Harry pulled him close to make sure that the table was completely covering him and that none of his body was still exposed,  
  
"Ron! Are you alright?"  
  
"Yea, it didn't hit me square. It just glanced. It burned for a second but I haven't lost the feeling." Ron was moving his shoulder in circular fashion to prove that he still had full mobility. "There are two Death Eaters focused on us and the rest are concentrating on the big group by the shed. They are taking on some heavy fire over there. We need to get over there and help them."  
  
"Ron, do you have your rock?" Harry asked as he reached into his pocket and pulled his rock out. Ron initially gave Harry a puzzled look but then caught on. He reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out a similar rock.  
  
"Thank God for Professor Lupin." Ron stated.  
  
"The rock barrier should be enough of a distraction to allow us to disarm those two." Harry added. "Then we can take some heat off of the other people."  
  
Ron nodded and they both tossed their rocks a few feet away from them. Ron tossed his to the right, and Harry's went left.  
  
"Roccia Protecto." Harry shouted as he set a jet of blue light at the rock. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ron do the same and the next second there was a massive rock wall in front of the boys. They stood up and gathered their thoughts quickly.  
  
"Alright, remember two taps on the rock with your wand will dissolve it." Harry said looking over at Ron. "Make sure you have a spell ready. You look right, I'll look left."  
  
"Ok." Ron responded. "One, two, three." On three they both dissolved their rocks and came out firing.  
  
"Impedimenta." Harry yelled and shot a jet of light at the nearest death eater. He froze in his tracks and fell to the ground like a log. Ron had sent a disarming spell at his Death Eater, which had knocked him off the ground. But he was now back up on his feet.  
  
"Incarcerous!" Harry yelled as thick ropes went flying at the advancing man and tackled him to the ground.  
  
Harry and Ron immediately began to run for the table next to the shed. Their scene had caused some other Death Eaters to notice and they were avoiding flashing spells as they tried to get to safety.  
  
Just then, Fred and George burst out of the shed and disarmed the two nearest Death Eaters using their Weasley's wand catchers. Harry hadn't even thought to use his and thought to himself that he would have to remember that next time he was in a tight spot.  
  
Meanwhile, using the distractions that the Weasley's had caused, Hermione and Tonks jumped out and sent powerful freezing charms at the two remaining Death Eaters who were in the area. Harry and Ron were then able to make it safely behind the table.  
  
"What happened?" Ron yelled. "Where is everyone?" The only people that were seeking shelter behind the large table were: Hermione, Tonks, Ginny, the twins, Hagrid, and Mr. Weasley who was had two men from the Ministry standing on either side of him.  
  
"We think it was an assassination attempt." One of the men from the ministry said. "We need to get the Minister out of here now."  
  
"Assassination!" Ron yelled. He was staring to lose his head a little and Hermione quickly jumped to his side and grabbed his arm. "Where's mum?"  
  
"Don't worry, she's fine." Mr. Weasley spoke up. "She apparated to the Ministry to get help, I thought she would have been back by now. Well no matter, the Death Eaters have since put up anti-apparation wards around the yard so we're stuck." Ron seemed to calm down when he heard that his mum was fine.  
  
"They're right." Tonks said glancing over at Hagrid. "We need to make sure Arthur and these kids get out of here now. I can hear more dueling going on. We can't stay here hiding behind this table, more Death Eaters will be on their way."  
  
"Any ideas?" Mr. Weasley asked.  
  
"I got a portkey to take us to Hogwarts?" Hagrid said pulling out the candlestick. "But it's not set to activate for another hour."  
  
"We can't wait that long." Another of the ministry workers spoke up. If they came here for Arthur, or Harry for that matter, he who must not be named will not be satisfied until the job is done. We have to go now!"  
  
"What about the floo?" Harry said trying to take an active role. They were about forty yards from the house and things had seemingly quieted down.  
  
"That will be our best bet." Tonks said. "We are going to have to make a run for the house."  
  
"Alright." One of the ministry workers conceded. "We will be on either side of the group." He said flashing a look over at the other ministry man and Tonks. "The rest of you stay in the middle and just keep running for the house no matter what happens." They all nodded and prepared themselves to go. Harry looked around and saw each person readying their wands.  
  
"Everyone ready?" Tonks asked as she neared the edge of the table.  
  
"Wait!" Fred and George shouted in unison. "These will give us a bit of a head start." They walked over to Tonks and handed her two small gray balls about the size of golf balls.  
  
"Just toss them out there." Fred said.  
  
"Okay." Tonks nodded. "Everyone get into position." Tonks was at the front with Hermione and Ron behind her. Harry grabbed Ginny and pulled her next to him, and Mr. Weasley was next to her. The Twins were right behind Harry, and Hagrid was bringing up the rear. The two men from the ministry were flanked on either side of Harry and Mr. Weasley.  
  
"Go!" Tonks shouted as she tossed the two gray balls out in front of them. They started emitting large amounts of deep gray smoke that quickly engulfed almost the whole back yard. The door to the Burrow was straight ahead and they all began to run for it through the thick smoke.  
  
Harry had grabbed onto Ginny's hand and was running straight, although he couldn't see anyone in front of him. There were shouts of spells and a few errant jets of light were the only things that could be seen in the thick fog. Harry just kept running as fast as he could and made sure they he held on to Ginny with all his might. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, they came out of the fog and the door to the Burrow was only about thirty feet away.  
  
"Come on." Tonks, Ron and Hermione were shouting. Pleading for Harry and Ginny to make it to the door unharmed.  
  
They made it, and out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see Mr.Weasley and the two ministry wokers appear behind him. Then, a few seconds later, Hagrid and the twins followed suit. They had all made it!  
  
"Alright to the fireplace." Tonks shouted. Hagrid threw the door closed and pulled the Weasley's kitchen table in front of it.  
  
"Here look at this." Tonks said showing a piece of paper to the two ministry workers.  
  
"Okay" One of them responded. "The minister first."  
  
"No.' Arthur shouted. "The kids."  
  
"There's no time for this Arthur, just go." Tonks pushed Mr. Wealsey towards the fireplace and in one motion he yelled, "Number 12 Grimmauld Place." Harry and Ron urged Ginny and Hermione to the front and they went next."  
  
"Go ahead mate." Harry urged Ron as he heard something crash against the front door. Ron nodded and quickly jumped into the fireplace and was whisked away. Harry went to grab a handful of floo powder and jumped into the fireplace as well and as he did heard another crash at the door. This time, the door was broken down. A bunch of Death Eaters flooded in the room.  
  
"Go Harry!" Tonks shouted.  
  
"I'll hold em off." Hagrid yelled. The large half giant ran full speed towards the Death Eaters. In unison, they began firing curses at him, which would just bounce off.  
  
"Go now Mr. Potter." One of the ministry workers yelled.  
  
"Number 12 Grimmauld Place." Harry yelled as a bright light shot at Hagrid. And the last image Harry saw as his body was yanked up the fireplace was his first real friend falling to the ground in a heap.  
  
Author's note: Ok I admit it, I am evil. I really love to put cliffhangers in. If you really don't like them, let me know and I will ease up on them a bit. I know this chapter is a little short, but there wasn't anything else that I wanted to happen in this chapter. By the way, I am looking for a new Beta so if there is anyone out there that has the time and would like to do it please email me at Cubs9911@aol.com. Anyways, keep reading and reviewing, I appreciate them a lot. 


	18. Hard Times

Chapter 18  
Hard Times  
  
"WE NEED TO GO BACK!" Harry shouted as he came crashing through the fireplace at number 12 Grimmauld Place. "THEY HAVE HIM, WE NEED TO GO BACK NOW!" Harry was thrashing through objects trying to find some floo powder.  
  
"Harry." Mr. Weasley said as he grabbed Harry's shoulder. "What's happened?"  
  
"Hagrid." Harry responded trying to calm down as much as possible. "The Death Eaters got through the door. Hagrid ran at them and then..."  
  
Just then Tonks came flying out the fireplace followed in the next few seconds by Fred and George.  
  
"TONKS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WE HAVE TO GO BACK WE HAVE TO SAVE HIM." Harry was thrashing around helplessly as Mr. Weasley restrained him.  
  
"I'm sorry Harry." Tonks responded as her eyes fell sadly to the floor. "There were just too many of them."  
  
"Is he ........ da dead." Hermione asked in a soft voice as tears began to well up in her eyes. She buried her head in Ron's chest, too nervous to even hear the answer.  
  
"We don't know." Tonks replied as Mrs. Weasley came through the fireplace.  
  
"Oh thank goodness." Mrs. Weasley said as she saw that they were all safe. She started looking over the bodies of Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione to make sure they were all right and then pulled them into bone shattering hugs.  
  
"Molly what happened." Mr. Weasley asked as he approached his wife and pulled her tightly to him.  
  
"I got to the ministry and started yelling about what was going on, but there were no Aurors there." Mrs. Weasley started. "Apparently there was a call that there was an attack on Hogwarts."  
  
"Hogwarts!" The four students yelled almost in unison.  
  
"Don't worry dears." Mrs. Weasley responded in a comforting tone that only a mother could possess. "It was a false alarm. There was no attack. Eventually, I got in contact with the Aurors and they went quickly to the Burrow. They were able to help us stabilize the situation."  
  
"Are Charlie and Bill safe." Ginny asked.  
  
"Yes dear, they're okay." Mrs. Weasley responded. "They both took a little damage but nothing too bad. They are helping the Aurors assess the situation now."  
  
"What about Hagrid!" Harry asked loudly.  
  
"We came from the ministry through the floo because it was going to take a few minutes for the aurors to crack the anti-aparation charm that had been put up." Mrs. Weasley responded. "When we came out, we saw a group of Death Eaters dueling with Tonks, the twins, and a few others. When the Death Eaters saw us, they immediately retreated. It appears that they had portkey's to get out of there quickly. Unfortunately, they took Hagrid with them."  
  
"We have to get him back." Harry yelled as he threw his hands over his face and the rage inside him began to surface."  
  
"We will." Mr. Weasley said starring confidently into Harry's eyes. "The sad truth Harry, is that they will most definitely keep him alive to bait us. To bait you." Harry knew he was right of course. He couldn't even imagine what kind of hardships Hagrid was going to have to endure.  
  
As if reading his mind, Mrs. Weasley came up and put her arm around him tightly. "Hagrid is stronger than you can possibly imagine. He will come through this." Harry nodded and buried his head into Mrs. Weasley's bust.  
  
"Molly." Mr. Weasley stated as he approached the fireplace and took a handful of floo powder that had been apparently been sitting on top of the mantle the whole time. "Call an emergency meeting, and get the kids back to Hogwarts. I need to go to the office."  
  
Mrs. Weasley nodded and Mr. was gone in a flash through the fireplace.  
  
"Alright then." Mrs. Weasley started. "We need to get you back to Hogwarts safely."  
  
"I'll take them." Tonks spoke up. "We can take the floo to Hogsmeade and walk from there." Mrs. Weasley nodded.  
  
"NO." Harry said in a tone slightly louder than his normal voice. "We're staying for the meeting."  
  
"I'm sorry Harry, but it's not possible." Mrs. Weasley replied in a firm tone that told Harry he probably shouldn't question her. "The Order is only for wizards who are of age. I promise, we will let you know if there is any news on Hagrid."  
  
"Yea don't worry mate." George said with a wink that Harry and the rest of his schoolmates understood. Harry conceded that having Fred and George there was almost as good as being there himself so he went along without a fuss.  
  
They took the floo to Hogsmeade and got back to Hogwarts without incident. Tonks insisted that she escort them all the way back to Gryffindor Tower and didn't leave their side until the fat lady allowed them in.  
  
It had been a tough night, and the four students when straight to bed without so much as a word.  
  
At breakfast the next morning, news about the assassination attempt on the minister was spreading like wildfire. Harry got an owl from Fred and George, which simply said that they didn't have any information yet and that they would keep in touch. Harry was having a hard time eating thinking about his first true friend Hagrid.  
  
"Don't you think it a bit odd." Hermione said, breaking the silence that had lasted since the previous night. "A false alarm at Hogwarts exactly when the Aurors were needed at the Burrow."  
  
"I was thinking the same thing." Ron replied. "Harry, maybe you should go to Aber... ah Dumbledore and ask him if he knows who made the report." Harry nodded in agreement. He would have to meet Snape for Occlumency lessons tonight so he could stop at Aberforth's office on the way.  
  
"You okay Harry?" Ginny said noticing he hadn't said a word in ages.  
  
"I'll be alright as soon as we know about Hagrid." He replied and got up from the table and left.  
  
The rest of the day went by in a blur. He didn't even remember a single thing that had happened in class. He decided to skip dinner and went right to Aberforth's office.  
  
"Ton Tongue Toffee." Harry said, and the spiral staircase began to take him up to the headmaster's office. When he got there, he saw that McGonagall and Snape were already there.  
  
"Potter." Snape said when he saw him enter. "I didn't know students were allowed to come straight into the headmasters office uninvited."  
  
"I'm sorry Severus." Aberforth interrupted. "I failed to inform you that I invited Harry here this morning."  
  
"I see." Snape responded while giving Harry an evil glance.  
  
"Who made the false alarm report yesterday?" Harry asked completely ignoring the fact that Snape was even in the room.  
  
"We don't know Potter and it shouldn't be something that you concern yourself with." McGonagall said quickly.  
  
"I shouldn't concern myself with it?" Harry yelled as the rage began to boil up again. "The Aurors were obviously drawn away from the Burrow by that false alarm and Hagrid's been taken as a result." A glass flew across the room and shattered as Harry starred down his Transfiguration professor.  
  
"Raising your voice to a professor Potter." Snape chimed in greasily. "That will be ten points from Gryffindor." Harry was about to respond but Aberforth interrupted.  
  
"All right, that will be quite enough." Aberforth said. "Severus, Minerva, I'd like a word with Harry." Professor McGonagall nodded calmly and headed for the door while Snape took a moment to stare at Harry.  
  
"We will not be having Occlumency lessons tonight." Snape finally spoke. "I have other business to attend to." And with that he glided out with a twirl of his cloak.  
  
"So what is really going on?" Harry asked once he was sure the other to professors had left.  
  
"The truth Harry is that I truly don't know who sent out the warning to the Aurors." Aberforth said as he took off Dumbledore's glasses and rubbed his eyes gently. "It's certainly cause for some alarm. I tend to agree with you, I think someone was trying to draw the Aurors away."  
  
"Is there any way we can find out?" Harry asked.  
  
"The Aurors are running a trace on the letter as we speak trying to find out any information possible. We'll just have to wait and hope they come up with something."  
  
"What about Hagrid?" Harry inquired.  
  
"Are you still having dreams Harry?" Aberforth asked starring at Harry intently. Harry nodded. "You have to be able to block your mind completely from him before you can know."  
  
"I could almost throw professor Snape out last time we had Occlumency. But how can I ever master it if he cancels our meetings?" Harry replied.  
  
"I'm afraid that was my doing." Aberforth said with a sly smile. "I gave him a task so he wouldn't be available to you tonight."  
  
"Why?" Harry said, now very confused.  
  
"Because I will finish your training." Aberforth said as he quickly took at his wand and aimed it at Harry. Before Harry knew what was happening, he could feel Aberforth's presence in his mind. The first thing he saw was Hagrid crumbling before a group of Death Eaters, and then the world went black.  
  
"You have to concentrate Harry." Aberforth said as Harry regained consciousness. "If he thinks that there is knowledge to be gained, Voldemort will invade your mind ruthlessly. We aren't leaving here tonight until you can throw me out at will." Harry nodded and braced himself, and once again Aberforth was in his mind. Memories were very suddenly rushing forth until once again Harry woke up on his back. Things continued like that for hours, but Harry didn't quit.  
  
After hours of practice, Aberforth surged into Harry's mind, but this time Harry felt like he could physically grab a hold of him. He closed his eyes and could see a picture of Aberforth in his head. He closed off his mind and just focused on his penetrator.  
  
"Goodbye Aberforth." Harry said with a smirk as he threw his instructor out of his mind and opened his eyes.  
  
"Very well done Harry." Aberforth said. "But we must keep working." Harry agreed and they went back at it. It was a lot easier to practice now that he had the confidence that he could control his own mind. They continued at it until Aberforth could not extract a single though from Harry's mind and Aberforth finally called it quits when Harry took him off guard and quickly penetrated his mind.  
  
"Very impressive Harry." Aberforth said as he quickly threw Harry from his thoughts. "I dare say I wasn't expecting that."  
  
"Thanks." Harry responded. "Now that you are confident that Voldemort cannot invade my mind, can you tell me what you know about Hagrid?"  
  
"Of course Harry." Aberforth responded. "The only problem is that we don't know much. We have spies trying as we speak to find out where they are keeping him. Rest assured, we will get him back. Now then you should go get some rest. It's after 1:00."  
  
Harry felt exhaustion start to creep on him and agreed that he needed to get back. When he got back to the Gryffindor common room, he saw Ginny curled up in one of the large couches in front of the fireplace, fast asleep.  
  
"Ginny." Harry whispered as he gave her a light shake. "Wake up."  
  
"Harry." She said as she stretched her arms, yawned and then sat up.  
  
"What are you doing out here?" Harry asked.  
  
"I was waiting for you." She replied. "When I didn't see you at dinner and then you weren't back in the common room, I got nervous. Ron and Hermione said that they were sure you were fine but I wanted to make sure."  
  
"Thanks." Harry said as sat down on the couch next to her. She quickly cuddled right up to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Her curled his arm around her and squeezed her tightly towards him.  
  
"I know how close you were to him." Ginny said. "Just don't block us out. These are hard times for everyone. We need to stick together to get through them." Harry sat there for a minute, continuing to hold Ginny close as he contemplated her words. She was right. He promised himself in the beginning of the year that he was going to get revenge on Voldemort and this was just more fuel to add to the fire.  
  
"Your right Ginny." Harry said as he tilted her face up towards him and captured her in the most passionate kiss of his life to date. "Thanks."  
  
They sat there for a few more minutes after that until Harry felt his eyes begin to close.  
  
"We better get to bed Harry." Ginny said slyly as she looked up at him. He agreed and they made their way to their separate dorms, but not before sharing one more kiss.  
  
Harry fell asleep quickly thinking about how Ginny had the power to make him feel better when no one else could.  
  
The next morning, Harry woke up in a better mood than he had been in for a long time. He was still worried about Hagrid, but was now focused again.  
  
"DA meeting tonight." Harry said in an upbeat tone as he grabbed some pieces of toast and sausage.  
  
"What has gotten in to you." Ron said as he was eyeing him suspiciously. "Yesterday you didn't say a word and were gone for half the night, and today your suddenly happy. What gives?"  
  
"Nothing." Harry said as he flashed Ginny a brief smile. She smiled back and blushed and Harry hoped that Ron didn't notice the encounter. "I just realized that I wasn't doing Hagrid any good by sulking. So I've refocused myself." Ron just shrugged his shoulders and was satisfied with Harry's answers.  
  
"So where were you last night Harry?" Hermione inquired.  
  
"Well Hermione, you'll be happy to know that I finished up my Occlumency lessons with... the headmaster."  
  
"That's great Harry." She responded. Just then, Hedwig swooped down and a letter flew gracefully into Harry's lap.  
  
H R HR,  
  
We can't say much now. We're on a special assignment. But we have news. Meet us in that special room on Friday night. Remember, third times the charm.  
  
F and G  
  
"Special Room." Ron said shaking his head. "What are they talking about."  
  
"Your so daft sometimes Ron." Hermione replied. "The room of requirements. Remember you have to walk past it three times."  
  
"Hopefully they have some good news." Harry said as they all got up to leave the Great Hall.  
  
Author's note: I tried not to leave this on a big cliffhanger. Next chapter Fred and George will have some info about Hagrid. For all of you fans of the Hagrid, he's not dead..... yet. Keep reviewing, it keeps me going. 


	19. Harry's Second

Chapter 19  
Harry's Second  
  
The prospect of learning about Hagrid's whereabouts from Fred and George on Friday got Harry through the week rather quickly. Ron decided to hold Quidditch practice in the morning on Wednesday and Thursday in addition to their normal Friday practice. Adding that to the DA group meetings and their homework, there was quite enough to keep them all busy.  
  
"What are you reading?" Harry asked Hermione. It was Thursday night and they were all sitting in the common room after another meeting of the DA. Lupin had taught them a charm, which enabled them to shoot ice out of their wand. It was a good spell because it could be used to limit mobility of an enemy in a duel. Lupin also told them that when they got good enough at it, they could produce a large enough block of ice to serve as a barrier.  
  
"A Wizard's Guide to Crimes and Punishments?" Ron questioned as he snatched the book out of Hermione's hands. He attempted to read the page that it was turned to but she quickly summoned it out of his hands.  
  
"You don't take things from people without permission." Hermione replied with a bitter expression after the book was back in her hands.  
  
"Sorry." Ron responded. He gave her a sharp smile and a wink and she couldn't help but smile back.  
  
"So what is the book for Hermione?" Harry said breaking up the silent moment that was going on between his friends.  
  
'I'll explain everything soon. I promise." Hermione said. "In fact, the five of us should have a meeting on Saturday. Remember we said that we were going to train on our own? Well I think I have a good first lesson."  
  
"The six of us." Ginny chimed in. "We can't forget Luna."  
  
"She's right, the six of us." Harry agreed. He felt guilty that he hadn't really seen or talked to Luna since school had resumed and this would be a good opportunity to include her. After all, she had been as loyal as anyone last year in the Department of Mysteries.  
  
"It's settled then." Hermione said. "We'll meet on Saturday night."  
  
"Neville!" Harry shouted because he was sitting across the room, nose buried in a book. "Neville!" Neville wasn't responding at all, so Harry walked across the room and tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
"Neville." He said one more time and finally got his attention. "We are going to meet on Saturday night for a bit of private training."  
  
"Alright Harry, I'll be there." Neville answered quickly before going straight back to his reading. Harry couldn't help but feel that something wasn't exactly right with him.  
  
"I'll let Luna know." Ginny said with a smile as Harry made his way back towards the group. "I have Transfiguration with her tomorrow."  
  
"Actually, I'd like to tell her if you don't mind Ginny." Harry said. Ginny smile faded a little.  
  
"Okay." She replied. Harry gave her a slight smile and then began to gather his things together.  
  
"I'm going to bed." Harry said to the group. "Remember, tomorrow night, Fred and George." They all nodded and he made his way to the dormitory.  
  
Harry woke up the next morning and couldn't remember his dreams, but for the second time, he thought they might have had something to do with Dumbledore. It was certainly time for him to check in on him again and he figured he would do it before the weekend was over.  
  
At breakfast, Harry sat with Ron, Hermione and Ginny as usual. He had intended to talk to Luna, so he looked over at the Ravenclaw table to see if he could spot her. Sure enough, she was sitting at the end of the long table by herself.  
  
"I'll be right back." Harry said as he made his way over towards her. She spotted him in advance and had a curious smile on her face when he sat down across from her. Harry heard a lot of whispers and noticed people looking his way as he addressed Luna.  
  
"Hi Luna, how are you?" Harry asked trying to ignore the stares he was getting. He wasn't sure if people were surprised that he had come over and sat at a different house table or if they were surprised by his company.  
  
"I'm fine." She replied. "I was starting to think you forgot about me." She said with a sort of vacant expression on her face.  
  
"Of course I haven't" Harry replied. "In fact, I was hoping you would come join us for breakfast."  
  
"Alright." She replied as she got up and followed Harry to the Gryffindor table.  
  
"Hi Ron." She said as she sat down at the table.  
  
"Uh hi Luna." Ron replied uncomfortably. Hermione scowled a little as she exchanged pleasantries with the odd Ravenclaw.  
  
"Luna." Harry interrupted, trying to get her attention back. "We are having a small group training session tomorrow night and we were wondering if you wanted to join us?"  
  
"Sure." Luna replied. "Well I hope I have my wand back by then."  
  
"What happened to your wand?" Ginny asked.  
  
"A couple of Seventh year Ravenclaw boys stole it last night in the common room."  
  
"Who did it?" Ron asked. "Me and Harry will get it back for you."  
  
"Oh don't worry." Luna replied as she got her things together and got up from the table. "I'll see you tomorrow night. What time?"  
  
"Nine." Harry replied. "After our Quidditch practice." Luna nodded and made her way out of the Great Hall.  
  
"Crazy that one is." Ron said after she was gone. "I don't think I'll ever understand her." Harry had to agree with Ron's sentiments; there was definitely something about Luna that made her different from the rest of them.  
  
Harry couldn't concentrate at all in class that day. He was too excited to find out what Fred and George had learned about Hagrid. In fact, he was so distracted that during Quidditch practice he lost his balance trying to catch the snitch and ended up crashing hard into the ground. He wasn't hurt badly, but his shoulder was stinging harshly.  
  
"All right there Harry?" Ron called from the air. He swooped down on his broom and settled next to Harry.  
  
"Yea, but I think something's wrong with my shoulder." Harry responded. Ron scanned his shoulder and it was clear that he agreed.  
  
"Yea, you better get that looked at." Ron said. "I'd better take you to the hospital wing."  
  
"I can make it okay." Harry said. "If I'm not back in time, go meet Fred and George without me. I will meet up with you guys." Ron nodded and flew back up into the air to join the rest of the team.  
  
Harry made his way to the hospital wing holding his left shoulder in place with his right hand. He had had worse injuries before so he was used to the pain. He thought that it probably wouldn't take much for Madam Pomfrey to heal him up, but the tough part would be getting her to let him leave. He really didn't want to miss the meeting with Fred and George.  
  
As he approached the door to the hospital wing, he saw one of his two least favorite people in Hogwarts walk out.  
  
"What's wrong scarhead? Fall off your broom again?" Malfoy hissed as he came face to face with Harry. This was one of the few times Harry had ever seen Malfoy without his two cronies attached to his hip.  
  
"Malfoy." Harry replied with a nod. "I haven't heard much from you this term. Laying low huh? I guess you wouldn't want to draw too much attention to yourself now that everyone knows you are the son of a Death Eater." The truth was, Harry hadn't spoken with Malfoy at all this term with the exception of the incident in the owlery. But if Snape had done his job, Malfoy shouldn't have any recollection of that.  
  
"Not laying low." Malfoy said cringing as he starred at Harry. "More like biding my time."  
  
"I'd expect as much." Harry replied not loosening his gaze at all.  
  
"You know Potter, I'd bet it would be pretty hard for you to grab your wand right now in your condition." Malfoy said. "It would be a shame if someone took advantage of that." Harry dropped his shoulder and pulled out his wand as quickly as he could and saw Malfoy do the same.  
  
"What is going on?" Madam Pomfrey said as she came out of the hospital wing door. "Mr. Potter what happened to your shoulder?" Obviously his injury was evident even though he wasn't showing any signs of his shoulder hurting at the present moment.  
  
"Quidditch accident." Harry responded still not taking his eyes off Malfoy.  
  
"Get in here right now Mr. Potter so that I can treat it." Madam Pomfrey said. "And don't you have somewhere to be Mr. Malfoy." Malfoy looked back at her and then began to walk away stopping briefly as he crossed paths with Harry.  
  
"Tonight, midnight, trophy room." Malfoy said in a low enough tone so that Madam Pomfrey couldn't hear.  
  
"You gonna show up this time." Harry responded in an equally soft voice. Malfoy just starred coldly at him for a few more seconds and then continued down the hall. Harry entered the hospital wing thinking that tonight he would be able to take out six years of frustration on Malfoy.  
  
Madam Pomfrey did heal Harry up quickly enough, but as he expected she made him lie down on a bed and rest a while. When he finally convinced her that he was fine enough to leave it was nearly 9:30. Harry quickly made his way to the room of requirements, which was on the seventh floor along with Gryffindor Tower.  
  
When he got there, he found Ron, Hermione, and Ginny along with Fred and George sitting on a couple of couches that were arranged around a fireplace. The room was significantly smaller than it had been when Harry held the DA meetings in there last year, and now had a close resemblance to the Gryffindor common room.  
  
"Hey guys." Harry said loudly to alert them that he was here.  
  
"Hey Harry." The twins said in unison as they got up and took turns shaking his hand.  
  
"Hey mate, thank God you're here." Ron said. "They wouldn't tell us anything until you got here."  
  
"Couldn't get old Poppy to let you leave huh?" Fred said with a smile. Harry just nodded and sat down on one of the couches next to Ginny.  
  
"So what's going on?" Harry asked. "Do you have any news on Hagrid?"  
  
"Well formally, we have been told by the Order that there is no news yet." George spoke up.  
  
"But we have our ways of finding things out." Fred continued. "We heard a private conversation between Moody and Lupin the other night. It seems that they have reason to believe that Hagrid is being held at Malfoy Manor. You see, they think that Malfoy Manor is being used as a sort of headquarters for the Death Eaters. Like Grimmauld Place is for the Order. Apparently a few newer members of the order, these two blokes name Greg and Tom Ramesfeld, were told to stake out Malfoy Manor. But when they went there, they couldn't find it."  
  
"The Fidelius charm." Harry said.  
  
"Exactly." George replied.  
  
"Has there been any sign of Malfoy's father or the rest of the escaped Death Eaters?" Hermione asked.  
  
"No. But if they are staying at Malfoy Manor under the Fidelius charm then it's no wonder no one's seen them." Fred answered. "Their secret keeper is probably Voldemort himself." They all nodded.  
  
"Well we should get going." George said glancing in Fred's direction.  
  
"Yea we've got places to be." Fred replied. "But we'll keep our eyes and ears open Harry."  
  
"Thanks." Harry said as they all exchanged goodbyes.  
  
"Hey guys." Ron said as the twins approached the door to leave. "What's your secret assignment?" Ron had a hint of excitement in his voice and a smile on his face.  
  
Fred and George just looked at each other solemnly. "We're trying to find Percy." Fred answered as they walked out the door. Ron sunk down into the couch and Hermione patted his hand gently.  
  
"So what are we going to do now?" Ginny asked, trying to break the tension in the room.  
  
"There's not much we can do." Harry said. "We keep training hard, and we hope that Fred and George come up with some more information."  
  
"Bloody git Malfoy." Ron snickered. "We should go beat some answers out of him." Ron had a look of Malice in his eyes.  
  
"Well that won't do any good." Hermione said. "Unless he is the secret keeper, which I highly doubt, he won't be able to tell you anything anyway."  
  
"She's right Ron." Harry said. He actually agreed with Ron but he didn't want to clue Hermione in that there was to be an encounter with Malfoy that night. "We are just going to have to hope someone slips up and we find some new information."  
  
Ron did not look pleased at all and he headed towards the door. Hermione and Ginny followed quickly behind him.  
  
"Ron wait." Harry shouted. "I need to talk to you a minute." Ron stopped and made his way back towards Harry. Hermione and Ginny did the same.  
  
"What is it Harry?" Ron asked.  
  
Harry looked over at Hermione and Ginny. "If you guys don't mind, I'd like to talk to him alone it's a guy kinda thing." Harry flashed a smile at Ginny and the two girls giggled a little to themselves before leaving.  
  
Harry brought Ron over to the other side of the room and sat down. Ginny had grown up with Fred and George and he wouldn't put it past her to try and hear their conversation.  
  
"If this is about you liking my sister Harry, you don't have to tell me. It's painfully obvious." Ron said.  
  
"No it's not about that Ron." Harry replied in a whisper. "I just didn't want the girls to know."  
  
"Know what?" Ron asked.  
  
"I ran into Malfoy on the way to the hospital wing." Harry started. "He challenged me to a duel at midnight in the trophy room." It seems like this news actually served to lift Ron's spirits.  
  
"Alright." Ron replied. "I'm your second."  
  
"I knew you would be." Harry said as the two boys headed back to the common room to get ready for their duel.  
  
Author's note: I hope you like the new chapter. In the next chapter we will have a duel and Halloween is coming up. And we all know that nothing good ever happens to Harry on Halloween. Thanks for all of your reviews. Keep them up! 


	20. The Midnight Duel: Part Two

Chapter Twenty The Midnight Duel: Part 2  
  
Author's note: Sorry this chapter was so late. I got a little sick. I actually intended for this chapter to cover a lot more, but it got to be too long so I decided to just make the duel one chapter. But I have the next chapter ready too so I will post that tomorrow. Anyways, I hope you like the duel!  
  
Harry and Ron stayed in the Room of Requirements for a while and discussed strategy for Harry's upcoming duel. In truth, they just wanted to put off going back to the common room for as long as possible so they wouldn't have to answer any questions from Hermione and Ginny about what they were discussing.  
  
"You've dueled against much more experienced opponents than Malfoy." Ron said. "I think the biggest thing you have to look out for is him doing something cheap."  
  
"Don't worry." Harry responded. "I'll stay on guard the whole time."  
  
"And I'll make sure who ever Malfoy brings as his second doesn't try anything." Ron said as he began to twirl his wand between his fingers. "It shouldn't be too difficult. I'm sure he'll bring one of those great oafs with him."  
  
Harry nodded. "What time is it?"  
  
"It's after 11:00 Harry. Should we just stay here until it's time to head to the trophy room?" Ron asked.  
  
"Yea, good idea." Harry answered. "Hermione and Ginny are probably waiting up for us and it would be hard to sneak right back out without them coming with us."  
  
They spent another forty-five minutes in the Room of Requirements waiting for midnight to approach. The sat mostly in silence, occasionally making small talk. Harry wasn't scared of Malfoy, but he knew that he couldn't underestimate what Slytherins were capable of.  
  
"It's almost midnight." Ron said breaking Harry's train of thought. "We should get going." Harry nodded in agreement and they were quickly out the door.  
  
"We have to get down to the third floor." Harry said as they approached the staircase. They were scurrying quickly down the stairs and made it down a couple of flights before they started to move.  
  
"Bloody hell." Ron said in anticipation. "Hang on." Harry and Ron hung on as the staircase began moving upward. It actually took them to the six floor before letting them off. Luckily, they caught another moving staircase that was going down and it took them to the third floor.  
  
"Come on." Ron said rather loudly. "It's already midnight and we don't want Malfoy having the satisfaction of saying we didn't show up."  
  
"Alright, but we have to be more quiet." Harry replied. "We don't want to get caught out of bounds." Ron nodded and they proceeded cautiously down the corridor. They were ducking behind statues and easing around corners to make sure that no one was around.  
  
"I wish we had your map." Ron whispered as the trophy room came into sight. It definitely would have been a lot easier to manipulate the hallways if they had the Marauders Map Harry reasoned.  
  
Once they figured that the coast was clear, they approached the door and found that it was unlocked.  
  
"Thankfully I haven't been in here for a while." Ron said as they entered and began keeping their eyes peeled for Malfoy. "I hated serving detention in this place."  
  
It was very cold and musty in the trophy room. There was a large glass case right in front of them that held trophy's and awards that had been given to students over the years. They made their way to the right to an adjacent room, which had suits of armor on either side and a long walkway in the middle. And there at the end of the walkway was Malfoy.  
  
"So you decided to show up this time." Harry called out as he and Ron began walking towards him.  
  
"You're a little late Potter," Harry heard Malfoy say as he got closer. "Having second thoughts."  
  
"You wish." Harry replied.  
  
Draco just laughed and nodded to someone who was lurking in the shadows behind one of the suits of armor.  
  
"This is Blaise Zabini, my second." Draco sneered. "Of course I won't be needing him. He's here more for his amusement than anything. He jumped at the chance to see me take you apart." Blaise was fairly tall, but not any taller than Ron and definitely hadn't filled out as much as Ron or Harry. He had jet-black hair and eyes that looked equally black in the dim room.  
  
"And look." Malfoy continued. "Potter has brought King Weasel as his second."  
  
"Better a weasel than a ferret." Ron said stepping forward next to Harry. Malfoy cringed, and then turned around and started walking away slowly.  
  
"It's a pity you didn't bring Granger with you." Malfoy hissed. "I would have loved to teach that filthy mudblood a lesson." Ron sprang forward and would have probably ripped Malfoy's head off before he even knew what happened. But Harry anticipated Ron's move and held him back before any contact had been made. Curiously, Blaise hadn't even made a move and was still just watching.  
  
"Watch yourself Weasley." Malfoy said. "This duel is between me and Potter. If you get involved than Zabini will get involved and you don't want that. He is a genius at transfiguration."  
  
Ron continued to struggle in Harry's grasp and had a look of intense hatred in his eyes. Harry turned to him and gave him a look, which made him calm down rather quickly.  
  
"I will take care of him." Harry whispered. "Don't worry. Just watch my back and make sure you keep an eye on Zabini." Ron gave Harry an understanding look and stopped struggling.  
  
"You ready then?" Draco asked as he made his way to the center of the room with Zabini following closely behind. Harry just nodded and met him in the middle with Ron right behind him. Harry took out his wand and starred intently at Malfoy. The swished their wands up in the air and began to turn around but were interrupted.  
  
"Stop." Zabini said harshly. He had a very deep voice that some would probably find intimidating. "Proper etiquette must be maintained." Malfoy rolled his eyes as if this was something that he had dealt with before and Zabini approached Harry and Ron and bowed. Although they were surprised, Harry and Ron didn't know what to do so they bowed back and he made his way back behind Malfoy. Malfoy ignored the whole incident and was instead concentrating on Harry.  
  
Again, the two young wizards swished their wands into the air and then turned around and began pacing. Ron and Zabini both made their way off to the side and after twenty paces Harry turned around.  
  
Both boys had their wand at ready and were waiting for the other to act. Harry had wanted Malfoy to act first. He figured he would try a disarming spell first and that would be very easy to block. It seemed that they were starring at each other for ages until finally Harry's patience paid off.  
  
"Expelliarmus!" Malfoy yelled as a jet of red light shot out of his wand. This had been exactly what Harry had wanted.  
  
"Protego." Harry said calmly as the light approached him. The spell bounced off the barrier and ricocheted back at Malfoy who had to jump out of the way to avoid getting disarmed by his own curse.  
  
"Engorgio!" Harry shouted taking the opportunity to strike. He shot the spell straight at Malfoy's wand hand and hit directly. Before Malfoy knew it, his had had swelled up to about three times it's normal size. Malfoy was temporarily paralyzed by the sight of it and even dropped his wand. "Stupefy!" Said Harry and shot a red light at Malfoy. He was trying to end the duel quickly but Malfoy snapped out of his trance quickly and had picked up his wand with his left hand and dove behind one of the suits of armor as the spell shot passed him. Harry heard Malfoy muttering to himself behind the armor as he began to approach him.  
  
He walked forward a little more and then saw Malfoy jump out with his hand back to normal and shout out an incantation that Harry could not make out. But before he knew it, an arrow had shot out of Malfoy's wand and was heading straight at Harry. Luckily, Harry had extremely quick instincts, which had been finely tuned as a result of playing seeker. However, as quick as he was, he was not able to avoid the arrow completely. As he dove down to avoid it, it grazed his back ripping his robe and leaving a fresh cut which Harry could feel blood seeping out of.  
  
Harry quickly found cover behind one of the suits of armor and while he was gathering himself he had an idea.  
  
He jumped out from behind the armor and yelled "Serpensortia." A large snake shot out of his wand straight at Malfoy.  
  
"Evanesco." Malfoy shouted with a satisfied grin as the snake vanished. However, this had been all the distraction that Harry needed.  
  
"Stupefy!" Harry yelled quickly and set a curse that hit Malfoy directly in the chest. He toppled over on his back and Harry satisfied with himself began to approach his unconscious nemesis. He looked around the room and got a congratulatory nod from Ron. Then he looked for Zabini and found him standing in the same spot as he had the whole time. The duel was not over until Malfoy was disarmed and as of now, he still had his wand clutched in his lifeless hand.  
  
Harry stood over the fallen Slytherin and reached down to take his wand out of his hand, when he was hit was a curse on his right shoulder. Consciousness slipped away and the world went dark.  
  
"Ennervate." Ron said. Harry woke up behind a large pillar and saw Ron standing over him.  
  
"What happened?" Harry asked, still a little groggy.  
  
"You got hit by a curse." Ron answered. "I immediately froze Zabini and pulled you back here behind this pillar. You've only been out a couple of minutes."  
  
"Bloody Slytherins." Harry muttered to himself. "I shouldn't have taken my eyes of Zabini."  
  
"No it's my fault." Ron said as he helped Harry to his feet. "I was supposed to be watching Zabini for you. He wasn't doing anything and I just glanced at you for a second to watch you disarm Malfoy and you got hit."  
  
"Don't worry about it." Harry replied. "Where are they now?" Ron and Harry both peered around the corner and noticed that the body of Malfoy was gone, however Blaise Zabini was still there lying completely still.  
  
"That's typical of Malfoy." Harry said. "Leave one of his friends behind. Come on we can take his wand away and then unfreeze him. I'd like to know why he stunned me especially after being such a stickler for protocol." Ron nodded in agreement and they began to head down the walkway between the suits of armor until they were standing over Blaise Zabini. Harry reached down and took his wand out of his hand.  
  
"Enner..." Harry tried to get out but was cut off by the screams of Expelliarmus coming from different directions. Harry and Ron were both launched about ten feet on to their back as their wands flew from their hands.  
  
"All right Ron?" Harry asked as he got to a knee and was looking around for his attacker.  
  
"Yea." Ron replied. They got to there feet and began looking for there wands when out from behind three separate suits of armor came Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle.  
  
"Looking for these." Malfoy said smugly as he picked up Harry and Ron's wands and tossed them to his two cronies. The three of them made their way towards Harry and Ron.  
  
"I should have known that you'd bring those two around." Harry said. "I knew that you could never have a proper duel against me."  
  
Draco just laughed at that suggestion. "That's his problem." Malfoy said as he nudged an unconscious Zabini with his foot. "He's always worried about doing things the proper way too. But look where that got him, and look where it got you. I have your wands and you're at my mercy."  
  
"Your nothing but a coward." Ron shouted and spat right in Malfoy's face. This infuriated him and he made a motion for Crabbe and Goyle to grab them. Ron and Harry were strong and either of them could easily handle Malfoy, but Crabbe and Goyle were huge for their age and as far as pure strength went they were superior.  
  
"You need to watch your mouth Weasel." Malfoy said as he violently punched Ron (who was being held by Goyle) in the face. Ron went down pretty hard and Goyle let go of him. Harry was trying to get away from Crabbe but it was a futile attempt. He looked down at Ron and saw a great deal of blood rushing from his face.  
  
"Give me their wands." Malfoy said to Crabbe and Goyle. They handed them to him and he studied them both. Harry was beginning to be reminded of his encounter with Malfoy in the owlery where he snapped his wand. Although a memory charm made sure Malfoy wouldn't remember, this was starting to look like a repeat of that situation.  
  
"This is a nice wand Potter." Malfoy sneered. "But I don't think you'll be needing it any..." Just then three separate shouts of "Stupefy" rang out from behind them. Harry felt Crabbe release him and fall harshly to the floor and saw Malfoy take a jet of red light right in the chest and quickly fall to the ground. Similarly, Goyle was piled up in a heap on the floor next to Ron who was slowly getting to his feet but still bleeding.  
  
Harry turned around to see Ginny, Hermione and Neville running towards them and was never so happy to see them in his life.  
  
"Are you guys alright?" Hermione said as she gave Harry a quick hug and then went to help Ron up.  
  
"Oh Ron what happened." Ginny said as she conjured a towel out of thin air and handed it to Hermione who put it up to his nose.  
  
"We're okay thanks to you." Harry said as he shook Neville's hand and hugged Ginny.  
  
"How did you know we were here?" Harry asked.  
  
"I'm afraid that was my doing." Ginny said sheepishly. "Extendable ears. We were eavesdropping on your conversation outside of the Room of Requirements. Of course we knew that you could handle yourself and I didn't blame you for wanting to duel Malfoy but we figured we'd grab Neville and hide out to make sure their was no funny business."  
  
"We would have been here earlier but we had a hard time getting here." Hermione added. "The staircases kept changing and sending us to the sixth floor."  
  
"Well I'm not exactly happy that you were listening to our conversation." Harry said with a very stern expression. "But I'm sure glad that you came." He quickly lost his frown and flashed both girls' smiles.  
  
"So what are we going to do with them?" Neville spoke up pointing to the fallen Slytherins.  
  
"We're going to get some answers." Ron said as he released himself from Hermione and took the now red towel away from his face. He was still bleeding but not as much as he had been. He went over to Malfoy and grabbed all three wands that were in his possession. He flipped Harry his wand and Malfoy's wand and then studied the Slytherin before pointing his wand at him and shouting "Ennervate".  
  
Malfoy woke up and was immediately greeted with Ron's fist. The punch connected to Malfoy's nose and he was bleeding in a similar fashion to Ron. The girls screamed and Harry went to Ron's side to make sure he didn't do anything further.  
  
"Calm down Ron." Harry said grabbing the side of Ron's robe.  
  
"Don't worry Harry, that was just payback." Ron said as he checked his fist and then bent over and grabbed Malfoy by the shirt.  
  
"Where's Hagrid." Ron shouted.  
  
"I don't know." Malfoy shrieked. Harry could tell that he was very afraid of Ron at this point.  
  
"I don't believe you." Ron said as he raised his fist again.  
  
"No please." Malfoy begged as he threw his hands in front of his face.  
  
"We know he's at your house Malfoy." Harry chimed in. "Who is the secret keeper?" Malfoy's expression quickly changed and he gave Harry a brief questioning look. It was obvious that Malfoy was surprised that they had this information.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Malfoy said in a much calmer tone.  
  
"I think you do." Ron said as he raised his fist again. This time Malfoy flinched but did not cover his face.  
  
"Stupefy." Hermione said and knocked Malfoy out once again. "There's no need Ron, I think we found out all that we were going to."  
  
"What do you mean?" Ron said. "I think I could have beat a few answers out of him."  
  
"No Hermione's right." Harry added. "We at least confirmed that Hagrid is at Malfoy Manor. Did you see the look in Malfoy's eyes? He was surprised we knew that much. And anyways he probably doesn't even know who the secret keeper is. He wouldn't have had a reason to go home yet."  
  
"He might know more than you think." Ron said, holding up Malfoy's limp right arm. It had a big white bandage on it. Ron began peeling off the bandage and revealed the Dark Mark. 


	21. The Boy Who Knew Too Little

Chapter 21  
The Boy Who Knew Too Little  
  
After getting over the shock of seeing the Dark Mark plastered on Malfoy's arm, Harry left the stunned Slytherins unconscious on the floor of the trophy room and led the other's back to the Gryffindor common room.  
  
"This is bad," Hermione said as they finally made it back. "Recruiting underage wizards?"  
  
"Well it's not as though You Know Who cares about what is proper is it?" Ron replied while still gingerly blotting his now swollen nose with the towel.  
  
"You have to tell the headmaster Harry." Ginny said quietly. It was always difficult to have private conversations in Hogwarts, you never really knew for sure who was listening.  
  
"I'll meet him tomorrow morning." Harry replied as he began to drag his exhausted body toward the boy's staircase. "I also have to check on our friend in the Chamber tomorrow." The rest of them nodded. Ron and Neville began to follow Harry while Ginny and Hermione went in the opposite direction.  
  
"Wait." Hermione said before the boys were out of earshot. "Are we going to have a special meeting with just the six of us tomorrow?"  
  
"Yea." Harry replied. "How about 7:00 in the Room of Requirements. You'll remind Luna Ginny?"  
  
"It'll have to be nine." Ron broke in. "Remember we have another Quidditch practice tomorrow. Have to get ready for Hufflepuff."  
  
"Right." Harry replied. "Nine tomorrow." Ginny nodded in agreement and they all said their goodnights and made their way to their respective dorm rooms as a sustained crash of thunder echoed outside.  
  
"Hopefully tomorrow we will get to see what Hermione's been so secretive about." Ron said as they opened the door to the sounds of Dean and Seamus snoring.  
  
Harry knew that he had a big day ahead of him so he woke up early. He grabbed his invisibility cloak and headed out of the dorm. He wanted to try and talk to Aberforth before breakfast. The rest of his Gryffindor bunkmates were fast asleep and Harry hoped that he could avoid seeing anyone on his way through the common room.  
  
However, when he got there he saw a small first year boy practicing spells in the corner.  
  
"Wingardium Leviosa!" The boy shouted as he began shaking his wand feverishly at one of the couch cushions. Although the cushion stayed where it was, a candleholder on the wall flew off and shattered.  
  
"Hey, watch where you're waving that thing." Harry said humorously as he approached Mark Evans. "You have to be calm and it's important to have the right wrist movements. Watch."  
  
"Wingardium Leviosa." Harry said calmly aiming his wand at Evans. And with a simple swish and a flick the first year boy was hovering a few feet off the ground. He was a little taken aback at first, but then a smile broke freely across his face.  
  
Harry lowered him back to the ground gingerly. "Now you try. Nice and easy. Aim at that pillow, say the incantation and use an easy swish and flick."  
  
The boy did as he was told and the pillow started to float softly in the air. "Thanks Harry!" Mark shouted in a very excited tone. "I didn't think that I would ever get it. Was it as hard for you to pick up magic after coming from a muggle family?"  
  
"Yea it was a little at first." Harry reassured him. "I mean a lot of the kids in your year have probably been around magic their whole life. But don't worry, you will pick things up." Harry patted him on the back and started to get up.  
  
"Thanks again Harry." Mark replied as he waved goodbye.  
  
Harry continued on out of the common room and headed to the headmasters quarters. He was happy that he was able to help Mark. Harry knew how hard it was to adjust to the magical world and he thought to himself that he would do his best to help Mark out. Harry felt a certain obligation to Mark Evans. It was probably because they were similar in a lot of ways. They both grew up in the same neighborhood and neither knew anything of the magical world until they came to Hogwarts. Plus they had both been on the receiving end of a Dudley Dursley punch.  
  
"Ton Tongue Toffee." Harry said once he reached the familiar gargoyles that led to the headmasters office. The spiraling staircase took him up and Harry opened the door to find Aberforth alone in his office furiously scribbling away at a piece of parchment.  
  
"Uh uh." Harry cleared his throat to get his attention.  
  
"Ah Harry. Come in, sit down." Aberforth said, quickly putting the piece of parchment away. "Is anything the matter? Something with Albus?"  
  
"Well yes there is something the matter but it doesn't have to do with your brother." Harry started. "I had an unfortunate encounter with Draco Malfoy last night and found out that he has the Dark Mark."  
  
"I see." Aberforth said twirling his long fingers together in a similar manner to his brother. "Unfortunately, there is not much we can do about that except keep a close eye on things. We don't want to cause a panic by letting it be known that there are Death Eaters among us, and we also don't want to let the Death Eaters know that we are aware." Aberforth put his hands to his head and looked as though he was entranced in deep thought.  
  
"Do you think there are other Slytherin students who are Death Eaters?" Harry asked breaking Aberforth out of his trance.  
  
"I'm afraid it's very likely that there are." He replied in an almost defeated tone. "But Harry, you must not just look at Slytherins to find Voldemort supporters. I know that you have experienced first hand that being a Gryffindor for instance doesn't inherently mean that a person will do what is right." Harry nodded and his thoughts went immediately went to Peter Pettigrew. A "friend" of his parents who betrayed their trust and turned them over to Voldemort.  
  
"I understand." Harry replied and attempted to change the subject. "Is there any news on Hagrid?"  
  
"I'm afraid not Harry." He responded. "But rest assured that the Order is working day and night to find him. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to head out to the forbidden forest."  
  
"Why are you going there sir?" Harry asked trying not to sound too nosey.  
  
"Well, It has come to my attention that there was some thunder last night without the benefit of a storm. I came to the conclusion that a certain friend of ours in the forest is becoming uneasy from not speaking to his brother." Aberforth got up and began to show Harry out. "It will not be easy but I will need to tell him of Hagrid's plight."  
  
Harry nodded and left the Headmaster to his duties. It sure wouldn't be easy to tell Grawp that Hagrid had been taken and Harry was glad that it wasn't him that had to do it. Grawp was likely to rip out half the trees in the forest upon hearing the news.  
  
Next thing Harry had to do was check on Dumbledore. Thankfully, it was still fairly early in the morning so he was able to sneak into Myrtle's bathroom fairly easily without anyone noticing. Harry made his way quickly to the familiar sink and beckoned for the Chamber to open itself up.  
  
"What have you got going on down there Harry?" Myrtle said as she swooped down and flew right through Harry. "I've been hearing terrible screaming going on. It's actually been quite nice."  
  
"Screaming?" Harry asked. "How often?"  
  
"Quite often actually." Myrtle said with a smile. "It's nice to know that there are other people who..." But Harry didn't listen to the rest of her statement. He jumped quickly down the pipe that led to the Chamber. If Dumbledore had been screaming then maybe there was something wrong with him.  
  
When he got there and began to survey Dumbledore's body, he couldn't really see any change except for his color. He had looked quite pale last time he saw him, but it seemed that the color had come back into his face. Upon touching him, Harry also noticed that his body was also very warm where as before it had been very cold.  
  
"I wish you would wake up." Harry said starring intently at the headmaster. Dumbledore blinked which caused Harry to jump back a little in fright. He came closer again and grabbed on to Dumbledore's wrist.  
  
"Can you hear me?" Harry asked. After about ten seconds, Dumbledore blinked again. Harry wasn't sure if this meant that he could here him or if this was simply an involuntary reaction. "If you can hear me, we need you to come back from wherever you are." Harry went on to explain everything that was going on including finding the Dark Mark on Malfoy. Occasionally, Harry saw Dumbledore blink or twitch and he hoped everything he said was getting through.  
  
"I'll be back again soon." Harry said as he made his way over to the rope that Aberforth installed and was jettisoned out of the Chamber and back into Myrtle's bathroom. Myrtle was no where to be found and Harry was happy about this because she would probably yell about the fact that he left her while she was in the middle of a sentence. Harry thought to himself that it had certainly been an encouraging visit. Hopefully Dumbledore would wake up soon because they sure needed him.  
  
Harry was about to exit Myrtle's bathroom when he heard voices outside. It was apparent that people were starting to wake up and head to breakfast and it would not look good if anyone saw Harry walk out of a girl's bathroom. Luckily, he had remembered to bring his invisibility cloak so he threw it on and was able to escape from the bathroom undetected. He then pulled off the cloak the first chance he got and headed to the Great Hall to get a spot of breakfast for himself.  
  
After breakfast, Harry headed back to the Gryffindor common room where he met up with Ron and Hermione who were having a game of Wizards Chess.  
  
"This game is so barbaric." Hermione said as one of Ron's nights viciously smashed one of her pawns clear across the board.  
  
"You're just mad that you're losing." Ron sniggered.  
  
"Am not." Hermione said with a huff and began to move one of her pawns who yelled at her that it wasn't a wise move.  
  
"Hey Harry." Hermione said jumping up from the table to walk over to him. It was clear that she was glad to have any excuse to stop the game.  
  
"Hermione, we're not finished." Ron yelled to her. But just then Crookshanks who had been lying on the floor at Hermione's feet jumped up and rather purposefully knocked over the game.  
  
"Oh well, it looks as though we can't finish the game now." Hermione said trying to stifle a laugh. Ron was muttering something to himself as he came over and joined Harry and Hermione. "So how did things go today?" Hermione continued.  
  
"Fine." Harry replied. "Aberforth said that we should keep a closer eye on things. Monitor anyone who acts suspiciously. And not just Slytherins. Anyone could be an enemy." Ron and Hermione appeared to get his point immediately and both shook their heads accordingly.  
  
"What about Dumbledore." Ron said quietly because the common room was starting to fill up more now that students were getting back from breakfast.  
  
"He seemed better." Harry replied. "He had a lot more color in his face and I saw him blink a few times."  
  
"That's great news Harry." Hermione said brightly as she got up. "Well I am going to go to the library and prepare for our lesson tonight."  
  
"What are we going to practice Hermione? Come on just tell us." Ron whined. It was clear from the expression on Hermione's face that Ron had been bugging her about it all morning.  
  
"Oh Ron stop. You'll find out tonight." She said as she walked off exasperated. Harry and Ron exchanged a brief chuckle as she left the common room.  
  
Harry and Ron relaxed the rest of the afternoon until it came time for Quidditch practice.  
  
Practice was pretty grueling and in Harry's estimation, Ron was becoming a more demanding captain then Oliver Wood. Ron was focusing on conditioning. He made everyone fly around in circles around the pitch for a half hour before he even started practice and then made them do it again at the end of practice.  
  
"Ron, how are we supposed to play in a proper game when you run us into the ground in practice?" Ginny asked angrily as they landed and made their way back into the castle. Ginny pretended like she was fainting and collapsed into Harry's arms. He was glad to have a reason to put his arms around her and just smiled as he took the opportunity to give her a quick hug.  
  
"Believe me, you'll thank me when your holding the Quidditch cup." Ron replied in a very serious tone. Ginny just rolled her eyes and reluctantly escaped from Harry's grasp and continued on into the castle.  
  
"We need to hurry." Harry said as he glanced at his watch. "Thanks to Ron the slave driver, we only have twenty minutes until we need to meet Hermione in the Room of Requirements." Ron gave Harry a sarcastic smile and they continued on into the castle.  
  
After showering up and changing, Harry, Ginny and Ron were about fifteen minutes late getting to the Room of Requirements.  
  
"It's about time." Hermione said as they finally walked through the door. The room was set up in a similar fashion to when they held DA meetings in there. It was very large with a lot of open space to practice.  
  
"Sorry." Ginny replied. "But Ron felt that it was necessary for us to practice until our arms fell off." Luna snickered a little and Hermione shot her a stern look.  
  
"So Hermione," Harry chimed in. "What is our first lesson going to be?"  
  
"Well, It is illegal and we probably shouldn't be doing it." She started.  
  
"Oh just get on with it Hermione." Ron interrupted. "It's not like we've never broken a few rules here and there in the past."  
  
"Like I was saying." Hermione said sending a piercing glance towards Ron. "Although it is illegal, it is a quite useful tool and as far as I can tell the punishment we would receive would not be too severe." Harry could tell that Ron was about to snap if Hermione didn't come clean fast so he spoke up.  
  
"We all understand the risks Hermione." Harry said calmly. "So what is your idea?"  
  
"I think we should all learn to apparate." Hermione finally said. "It really is one of the most useful tools there is for a witch or wizard."  
  
"Can we really learn to do that ourselves?" Neville asked timidly.  
  
"I expect we can." Hermione responded. "I've read three full books on the subject that I found in the restricted section of the library and as you can see..." Hermione disappeared with a pop and rematerialized behind Neville. "I have already learned how to do it."  
  
They all looked at Hermione with very surprised and shocked expressions except for Luna who seemed to be closely examining the walls of the room.  
  
"Of course, I have been practicing it in private for two weeks now so you shouldn't expect that you will pick it up right away." Hermione added.  
  
"But I thought apparition was monitored very closely. Won't the ministry find out if we do it?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Yes it is monitored very closely, but from what I have been able to gather, they won't be able to detect us doing it in Hogwarts." Hermione stated.  
  
"Excuse me Hermione," Ron spoke up. "Wasn't it you that always said, (At this point Ron started doing an imitation of Hermione's voice that wasn't at all accurate but was very funny) If you have read Hogwarts A History you would know that you can't apparate in Hogwarts."  
  
"Of course that's true Ron," Hermione responded with a roll of her eyes, obviously not impressed with Ron's impression of her. "And thankfully that is why we can practice in here without being detected. Because the ministry knows that you can't apparate in Hogwarts so they won't be monitoring it."  
  
"If it's true," Ron was starting to get frustrated. "Then how the bloody hell are we supposed to do it?"  
  
"The reason we can do it," Hermione said ignoring Ron's frustration and focusing on the rest of her school mates. "Is because this is the room of requirements. We require to learn how to apparate and the room obliges."  
  
"That's brilliant." Harry replied.  
  
"However, if we ever have to do it outside of Hogwarts then it will probably be detected. That is why we must not do it except in the most dire of circumstances. My hope is that if we had to do it in a life or death situation the Ministry would understand and not punish us too harshly."  
  
"All right." Harry said. "Where do we begin?"  
  
"Everyone come over here." Hermione pleaded. Just then a brick wall, which was about ten feet high and ten feet across, appeared out of nowhere. "The incantation is Aperio. Eventually you won't need to use your wand to do it but it helps at first. Just tap your wand twice against your leg and say Aperio. Then you have to visualize yourself appearing wherever it is that you want to appear." Hermione pulled out her wand and demonstrated as she quickly disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the brick wall.  
  
One by one they attempted it. At one point, Ron reappeared in mid air near the ceiling and promptly fell hard to the ground. Harry ended up on top of the brick wall once and Neville disappeared altogether once only to come back into the room via the door about ten minutes later pronouncing that he had somehow ended up in the owlery. Ginny could never quite get her distance down as she kept ending up clear across the room and Luna once reappeared in Ron's arms which made Hermione scowl as she obviously wasn't convinced that it was an accident as Luna had said it was.  
  
"I think Quidditch practice took it out of me." Harry said as he collapsed on a couch that appeared when he had been feeling particularly tired. "I don't think that I can practice anymore." Neville, Luna, Ginny and Ron all joined him and looked equally as tired.  
  
"Well apparating does take a lot of energy out of you." Hermione replied. "I think you have all made great progress today. We can get together again next weekend and try to perfect it then." They all agreed and exhausted made for the door to head back to the common room. However, before Harry could leave Neville tapped him on the shoulder.  
  
"Harry." He said quietly. "Can I talk to you?"  
  
"Sure." Harry said venturing back into the room a bit. "What's going on?"  
  
The others stopped when the noticed that Harry and Neville weren't behind him and made their way back into the room.  
  
"It's okay guys." Harry said assuring them that they could go ahead without him. "I just need to talk to Neville for a second." They all got the pictured and quickly made their way back out of the room. Harry put a quick silencing charm around himself and Neville to make sure that no extendable ears could crack this conversation.  
  
"The thing is Harry." Neville started. "You know how I'm often clumsy and forgetful?"  
  
"Don't worry about that Neville." Harry said. "You're getting a lot better, it's nothing to be too worried about."  
  
"That's not quite it." He responded. "You see I've been doing a lot of reading on memory charms lately and it seems that I may have been the victim of a rather powerful one myself." Harry was shocked initially, but it did make sense.  
  
"So you think that you saw something that you weren't supposed to." Harry asked calmly. Neville just nodded.  
  
"I have all the symptoms of someone who has had a strong memory charm put on them. Clumsiness, loss of short-term memory, headaches. It all fits."  
  
"Do you have any idea what they could have erased?" Harry asked sympathetically.  
  
"I think it has to do with the night my parents were tortured." Neville said, his voice cracking a bit. "I've had strange dreams in the past about that night even though I don't know if I was even there. I've tried to ask my gran about it, but you've seen how she is. She won't tell me anything."  
  
"Maybe we can tell Aberforth about it and he can come up with a solution." Harry suggested.  
  
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea Harry." Neville replied. "You said it yourself, we don't know who we can trust and if someone finds out that I'm trying to recover a memory that they wanted me to forget then they will probably come after me."  
  
"I understand." Harry responded. "I think we can trust Aberforth but for now we'll just keep it between ourselves."  
  
"Thanks Harry." Neville said. "I think next week we can tell the rest of the group and maybe together we can all find a solution." Harry nodded and threw his arm around Neville and led him out of the room all the time wondering what mystery Neville has locked up inside him.  
  
Author's Note: Hey everyone. I hope you enjoy this chapter. My computer got a nasty virus and was completely wiped out. I had to get it rebuilt and it was really frustrating. But everything is back now and I'm anxious to get some chapters out. The story is going to accelerate a little in the next couple of chapters. There will be Halloween, the first quidditch match of the year, and the first Hogsmeade visit. So keep reviewing and I'll keep writing. Thanks.  
  
P.S.: I have been getting some reviews where people are reminding me that you can't apparate in Hogwarts. I was always under the impression that Hermione always says that you can't apparate into or out of Hogwarts but I never remember her saying that you can't apparate within Hogwarts. If anyone knows the answer to this, PLEASE let me know because I want to keep my story as accurate as possible. Thanks. 


	22. Halloween

Chapter 22  
Halloween  
  
"Get up Harry," Ron shouted shaking him furiously. "We're going to be late to Transfiguration."  
  
The last couple of weeks had been particularly hectic for Harry and he was trying to milk every second of sleep that he could. Ron had increased the frequency of Quidditch practices since their first match with Hufflepuff was coming up and between that, DA meetings, homework, checking on Dumbledore, and learning how to apparate, Harry could hardly even remember what day it was. And there was always the trouble with Neville to deal with. Neville and Harry had told Hermione about his memory charm theory and Hermione was working on trying to break it. It is widely known that memory charms are very hard to break even for the most powerful witches and wizards so Hermione was adamant that they read every piece of literature on the subject. So in the little free time they did have, Harry and Ron were helping Hermione search through every book dealing with memory charms.  
  
Of course things were beginning to let up. After a couple of more sessions with Hermione, they all successfully learned how to Apparate. Neville was the last to get it, although it didn't take him much more time than the others to master it.  
  
Dumbledore seemed to be getting better too. Harry had started to check on him every other day and had once been present to the screams that Myrtle had warned him of. Dumbledore kept screaming, "It can't be you" over and over again. Strangely enough, it actually had made Harry feel better to hear his voice.  
  
In an effort to alleviate some of the pressure on Harry, Aberforth had suggested that Harry entrust Dobby to help take care of Dumbledore. Harry knew that Dobby was fiercely loyal to him and Harry made it clear that Dobby wasn't to tell anyone of the situation. So Dobby began checking on Dumbledore every day and popping in on Harry every night to give him a progress report. Harry knew that Dobby would do a good job taking care of Dumbledore. Dobby felt very grateful that Dumbledore gave him a job and Harry could tell that the elf would probably do just about anything for him.  
  
"Come on Harry." Ron urged. "I don't feel like cleaning the owlery again." Harry and Ron had been late to Transfiguration twice already this year and ended up cleaning up after the owls without the benefit of magic. McGonagall was acting more strict than usual this term and Harry agreed that he didn't want to test her again.  
  
Harry groggily opened his eyes and noting the time quickly woke himself up and began getting his things together for class. Ron continued to urge him on and within a few seconds they were both tearing through the common room. Harry noticed a crowd assembled around the bulletin board but they didn't have time to see what they were looking at.  
  
They entered class out of breath and went to towards the front of the class where there were they found Hermione sitting by herself with a vacant chair to her right. Behind her, Neville was also sitting with a vacant chair available. Ron quickly grabbed the seat next to Neville, which left Harry sitting next to Hermione. It didn't really surprise Harry. His two best friends were having one of their patented quarrels lately although neither of them would say what it was about. Ron just said that Hermione was being a know it all like usual when Harry prodded him and Hermione said that Ron was being a prat as usual. Harry knew that there was probably a lot more to the story but conceded that they would tell him when they felt like it.  
  
"Thank Merlin we're not late." Ron said as he was catching his breath.  
  
"Actually you are late," Hermione responded without even looking at Ron. "But McGonagall hasn't shown up yet. Although as a prefect I could take off house points for you being tardy... and an insensitive prat."  
  
"And as a prefect I could take house points from you for being such a bloody know it all." Ron replied.  
  
"Before Gryffindor ends up with no points." Harry jumped in. "Why don't you guys tell me what this is all about?"  
  
"Nothing." They both said loudly in unison. Harry was going to try and prod them further but just then Professor Flitwick came bounding into class.  
  
"Quiet down everyone." Flitwick said as he climbed up on top of McGonagall's desk to address the class. "Professor McGonagall is a little under the weather so as I have this period off, I volunteered to take her class today."  
  
"I didn't think old McGonagall could get sick." Ron said softly. Harry chuckled a little. This was there sixth year and he couldn't remember McGonagall ever missing a class.  
  
"Now then, Miss Granger what is it that you were to study today." Flitwick asked.  
  
"We were supposed to learn partial animal transformations." Hermione responded. Harry had actually forgotten that they were going to learn this and was now very excited. While doing his readings in preparation for this class, they had found that partial animal transformations sounded very exciting. For instance, a person could transfigure their hands into talons if they needed something sharp. Of course, complete animal transformations were much more difficult and took a lot more training. Harry had always loved the idea of becoming an animagus like his father, but he just didn't have that kind of time, especially not now.  
  
"Of course." The small professor responded. "A very useful tool for a witch or wizard. Now everyone watch me. We will start small. We will all attempt to transfigure one of our hands into the paw of a lion. Now the correct wand movement is a swish followed by two taps on the hand. And the incantation is Mano Leone. Come on now everyone try it."  
  
Excitement spread through the classroom as they all began saying the incantation and attempting the spell. Professor Flitwick began walking around to observe.  
  
"It's very important that you visualize what you want to happen with any transfiguration spell." Flitwick added. "It is not enough to just wave the wand and say the spell." Harry did as the professor said and after a couple of times was able to perform the transformation flawlessly.  
  
"Well done Mr. Potter well done." Flitwick said with a big smile on his face. "Everyone else keep trying." Harry was starting to become very accustomed to Dumbledore's wand and found that it was getting easier and easier to work with it. His Transfiguration skills specifically had greatly improved.  
  
"Mano Leone!" Hermione shouted and ended up poking her hand very hard instead of tapping it. Harry laughed to himself. Normally Hermione probably would have been the first to complete the task but her fight with Ron had apparently gotten to her. When class let out and Ron had completed the task and she still hadn't, she stormed out of the room without saying a word to anyone.  
  
"I wonder what her problem is." Ron said while scratching his head with his big lion paw. Harry couldn't help laughing as they made their way out of class.  
  
"I can't wait for tonight." Ron said as they made their way through the corridor. They had a break before their next class so they were heading back to the common room.  
  
"Tonight?" Harry asked.  
  
"Don't tell me you forgot." Ron replied. "The Halloween feast. It's my favorite of the year." Harry had forgotten because the days were starting to run together lately. But it would be exciting. The Halloween feast was always great.  
  
When they got back to the common room, Harry went straight for the bulletin board that he had seen people looking at earlier in the day.  
  
"First Hogsmeade trip Ron." Harry yelled to Ron who had taken a seat on the couch and was looking like he was going to fall asleep although this news seemed to perk him up.  
  
"When?"  
  
"Two weeks from tomorrow." Harry replied.  
  
"That's great." Ron replied. "It will do us good to get out of the castle for a change." Harry nodded and thought to himself that it would be the perfect time to ask Ginny on a proper date. He just hoped it would go better than his last Hogsmeade experience with Cho Chang.  
  
The rest of the day went very slowly. Classes always seem to drag on forever when there is something to look forward to like the Halloween feast. When it was finally time to go down to the feast, Harry came down from the sixth year boy's dorm and found Ginny waiting for him. He just couldn't help smiling every time he saw her.  
  
"Hey Ginny." He said as he approached her. "You were waiting to walk down to the feast with me?"  
  
"Maybe." She replied slyly. He just flashed her a quick smile and without even realizing he was doing it he held out his hand, which she quickly took. They began walking out of the common room following a swarm of students who were doing the same when Harry suddenly stopped.  
  
"Wait, where are Ron and Hermione?" Harry asked.  
  
"Oh they were having another row right before you came down." Ginny replied casually. "Ron stormed out of the common room and Hermione ran up to the girls dorm."  
  
"Do you think we should go see if she's all right?" Harry questioned.  
  
"Honestly Harry haven't you learned yet? When those two go at it it's best to just stay out of the way. I've asked them what's wrong and they both just keep telling me nothing.  
  
"Yea, they say the same thing to me." Harry replied.  
  
"See. Let's just let them figure this one out for themselves." She replied and once again grasped Harry's hand in hers. A couple of Gryffindor girls in Ginny's year that Harry didn't know giggled as they walked by the couple.  
  
"So you know the first Hogsmeade visit is coming up." Harry said shyly avoiding Ginny's eyes.  
  
"Yea, I saw." Ginny replied. They were both a little nervous and Harry could feel the sweet building up in both their hands.  
  
"Well I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?" Harry continued.  
  
"I'd love to Harry!" Ginny yelled stopping abruptly and throwing her arms around him. She went on to tell him about all the fun things they could do together. Ron had always said that when she was at home Ginny never shut up and now that she was becoming a lot more comfortable with him, Harry was beginning to see that side of her come out.  
  
When they got to the Great Hall for the feast, Harry noticed that Ron was already sitting at the Gryffindor table and he and Ginny sat down next to him.  
  
"Hey Ron." Harry started.  
  
"What? Oh hey mate." Ron replied. He was peering around the Gryffindor table, which was starting to become full with students.  
  
"Where's Hermione." Ron asked.  
  
"She stayed in the girls dormitory Ron." Ginny replied. "No thanks to you."  
  
"Hey don't blame me. She's the one that...." Ron caught himself quickly. "Nevermind. I've gotta go." With that he got up from the table and began walking quickly towards the door.  
  
"But Ron the feast is about to start." Harry called after him. But Ron just kept walking and was soon out of sight. Harry could hardly believe that Ron would ever miss the Halloween feast; he looked forward to it every year.  
  
"Just let him go." Ginny said smiling at Harry again. "We'll enjoy it without them." And they did enjoy it. Aberforth got up and welcomed everyone and with a clap of his hands the tables were full of every treat imaginable. Everyone was talking about his or her first Hogsmeade visit, especially the third years that would be going for the first time. And a lot of the younger Gryffindor's were coming up to Harry and Ginny and asking them how badly they were going to beat Hufflepuff in Quidditch.  
  
"With Harry back as our seeker, I'm sure we'll win easily." Seamus yelled from the other side of the table as a Gryffindor cheer broke out.  
  
Harry briefly looked over at the Slytherin table and tried to find Malfoy. He had not seen him since their encounter in the trophy room and he was looking forward to rubbing it in a little. But Malfoy was nowhere to be seen which Harry reasoned was probably for the best anyway.  
  
When the feast ended, Harry and Ginny strolled gingerly back up to the common room intent on trying to find out what was going on with Ron and Hermione. But when they got there they were nowhere to be found. Harry and Ginny both checked their respective dormitories but came up empty.  
  
"No sign of Hermione." Ginny stated as she made her way down the stairs.  
  
"Ron either." Harry replied. "I think I'll go check my map just make sure they are all right." Harry added as he made his way to the stairs. But before he could the door to the common room swung open revealing one of the map's authors.  
  
"Professor Lupin?" Harry asked. "What are you doing in here?"  
  
"I have news Harry." Lupin said as he led Harry to an unoccupied corner of the room. Some of the students were taking note of the professor's appearance and were obviously interested to find out what they were talking about so Lupin got close to Harry and whispered in his ear. "We have him."  
  
"Have who?" Harry replied.  
  
"We caught Lucius Malfoy."  
  
Author's Note: This chapter was particularly hard for me to write so I'm sorry if it is a little boring. There were certain things that I needed to happen in this chapter and I knew before I started writing it that it wasn't going to be very exciting. The next chapter should be a lot better. In the next chapter I will have my first Quidditch match. I am a little nervous about writing Quidditch because I want to make sure it's unique and exciting. Anyways please keep reviewing, you know I appreciate them.  
  
P.S.: I made a change to the previous chapter in regards to the apparition question. I hope it is an explanation that satisfies everyone. Thanks!


	23. Gryffindor VS Hufflepuff

Chapter 23  
Gryffindor VS. Hufflepuff  
  
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Harry shouted but then quickly dropped his voice to a whisper when he saw the entire Gryffindor common room looking at him. "Are you serious, we caught Lucius Malfoy?"  
  
"Yes." Lupin replied. "Ginny come over here." The professor called to the fiery red head. "This concerns you too. And where are Ron and Hermione?"  
  
"We don't know." Harry answered as Ginny made her way over to the corner of the room where Harry and Lupin where huddled. "I was just about to check the map to find out where they were when you walked in."  
  
"Okay you go do that. I will tell Ginny the news." Lupin replied. Harry nodded and made his way over to the boy's stairway. He could hear Ginny yelp gleefully as he began to climb the stairs. But before he could get too far, the portrait of the fat lady opened revealing his too best friends.  
  
"Where have you too been?" Harry shouted in a parental tone. The entire common room turned to look at Ron and Hermione, which made them both blush furiously.  
  
"We were uh..." Ron started.  
  
"In the library." Hermione finished as they walked forward. Harry couldn't help smiling and he decided in light of the good news he would let them off the hook.  
  
"Lupin has good news." Harry said as he approached the couple. Just then Lupin and Ginny walked forward and joined the group.  
  
"It's not all good." Lupin corrected. "But we can't talk here. Lets go to my office." So together the five of them exited the common room and made their way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Harry looked around and noticed that everyone was very tense as they made their way down the corridor. What could the bad news be? Surely it was a good thing that the caught a dangerous Death Eater.  
  
"Here we are." Lupin said once they arrived in his office. He closed the door behind him and made his way to the desk, conjuring up some extra chairs in the process so everyone can sit down. "Now then, as I told Harry and Ginny, we did indeed catch Lucius Malfoy."  
  
"That's Great." Ron said.  
  
"Oh thank God." Hermione added. "Hopefully they will be able to find Hagrid now."  
  
"Indeed." Lupin replied. "We hope so. The Order is meeting right now to discuss strategy in those regards. I should be at the meeting, but I was sent to talk to you lot instead. You see, there were some interesting circumstances that led to his capture. And it may be a little hard for you to hear. Especially you two." He said pointing at Ron and Ginny.  
  
"What is it?" Ginny asked timidly as if she didn't really want to know.  
  
"Yea, we can handle it don't worry." Ron said as he sat up a little straighter in his chair and stuck his chest out. Harry however, could see that Ron had a fair amount of fear in his eyes.  
  
"Alright, I'll continue then." Lupin responded. "Fred and George were doing some work for the Order. They found themselves at a Death Eaters meeting. Thankfully, Voldemort wasn't there. But they recognized Lucius right away. He was leading the meeting. They were discussing an attack that they were planning on Hogsmeade. Fred and George called for backup, and members of the order started popping up everywhere. The Death Eaters of course started Apparating away. But thankfully Fred, had the good sense to stun Malfoy before he even knew what was going on."  
  
"Was anyone else caught?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yes, they caught one other person." Lupin replied and Harry could see his face begin to fall a little. "You see, the reason Fred and George found this meeting is because they were tailing someone who happened to go to this meeting."  
  
"Percy." Ron said angrily. Lupin nodded. Harry remembered Fred and George telling them that they were looking for Percy.  
  
"I'm sorry to say." Lupin added. "Fred and George had been tailing him for about a week. They didn't report anything suspicious and were going to give up when he lead them straight to a Death Eaters meeting. Needless to say, while Fred was stunning Malfoy, George stunned Percy." Ginny buried her head in Harry's shoulder and was sobbing steadily.  
  
"Where is that lousy git!" Ron yelled angrily as he got up from his chair.  
  
"Settle down Ron." Lupin said as he made a motion for Ron to return to his seat, which he surprisingly did. "They are both being held at Grimmauld Place. They are going to be interrogated shortly. Your parents gave me strict orders that none of you were to come. They said they would see you on Saturday after your Quidditch match."  
  
"What kind of a person..?" Ron grunted angrily as he got up and stormed out of the office. Hermione leapt up quickly and followed after him. Meanwhile, Harry patted Ginny's head tenderly as she continued to cry.  
  
"Is there any chance that it's a mistake?" Harry asked breaking the silence. "Maybe he was under the Imperious Curse."  
  
"Truthfully, I don't know." Lupin answered. "He hasn't been interrogated yet. I guess we will have to wait and see what kind of answer he gives."  
  
"How are the rest of the Weasleys?" Harry asked as Ginny slowly picked her head up.  
  
"Mrs. Weasley is heartbroken of course. She didn't believe it at first. Not until she heard it straight from Fred and George. The rest of them had similar reactions to Ron. They're angry and hurt." Harry nodded and turned to Ginny.  
  
"Are you okay?" He started. "Do you want to go back to the common room now?"  
  
"Yea." She said meekly. The two students got up and made their way to the door.  
  
"Needless to say," Lupin said. "The information regarding these captures is strictly confidential. No one must know. Especially about Percy. It might cause a panic now that Mr. Weasley is the Minister." Harry and Ginny both understood. If it was found that the Minister of Magic's son was a Death Eater, it was certainly cause a lot of unneeded controversy.  
  
The rest of the day was very hard. Harry and Ginny came back to the common room and saw Hermione and Ron sitting on a couch in the corner. They joined them and the four sat in relative silence for what seemed like hours. Harry did mention Lupin's plea to keep the information confidential. Ron said that would be no problem because he wouldn't want anyone to know that his brother was a traitor.  
  
The weekend passed by pretty uneventfully. Gryffindor house was buzzing with anticipation about the first Quidditch match of the year. But Harry, Ginny and Ron were walking around in a sort of zombish state. On Sunday, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley wrote a letter telling them not to worry. They said that Percy was in the process of being interrogated and that they would all talk after the Quidditch match.  
  
Before they all went to bed on Sunday, Ron called a meeting of the entire Quidditch team and notified them that they would be practicing Monday through Friday Morning at 6:00 am. He had such a fierce and authoritative look in his eyes, that no one even questioned him.  
  
When practice got underway on Monday morning, Harry realized that Ron was channeling all his anger into Quidditch. It was the most intense practice Harry had ever been a part of, and that was saying something. At one point, Ron grabbed one of the beaters bats and was hitting bludgers at the chasers while they were running a passing exercise. Then, at the end of practice, he released the Snitch and made everyone do laps around the pitch. He said that they had to keep doing laps until Harry caught the snitch. And to top it off, Ron went against him as the opposing seeker.  
  
Ron didn't have much seeker experience, but he was intent on keeping Harry from catching the snitch. He did whatever he had to do. He was flying recklessly and a couple times when Harry was close to the snitch, Ron flew right into him and nearly knocked Harry off his broom. Thankfully, about 15 minutes in, Harry saw the snitch hovering above one of the goals and was able to fake Ron out by going into a dive and then quickly pulling up to capture the golden ball. Ron looked angry that Harry had caught it so fast. He had obviously wanted to work his team much harder.  
  
The rest of the week went similarly. They woke up every morning and had grueling practices before classes. When Saturday morning came around, Harry didn't think he had ever been so happy to have a weekend come. Harry noticed that Ron was already out of bed as he made his way down to the Gryffindor common room.  
  
The first Quidditch match of the year was always very exciting, especially for the first years. As Harry walked in the common room, the place bursted into applause and cheers. There were flashes of gold and red everywhere. Harry noticed Dean Thomas sitting on one of the couches and he quickly approached him.  
  
"Nervous?" Harry asked. He remembered his first Quidditch match and knew that it couldn't be easy for Dean.  
  
"A little." Dean conceded. "But I think I will be okay once we get out there." Harry nodded in agreement as another loud cheer resonated through the common room. He turned around to see that Ginny had walked in and he noticed that she smiled for the first time since they had learned the news about Percy.  
  
"Come on Dean." Harry said as he led him over towards Ginny. "We should probably go get some breakfast." He agreed and together they grabbed Ginny and made their way down to the Great Hall. Many other Gryffindor students had followed them down the corridors singing Gryffindor praises.  
  
They ate quickly and then changed into their Quidditch gear before making their way to the pitch. It was really a beautiful day. It was a little chilly, but the sun was giving off enough warmth to keep it comfortable and the win was barely blowing at all. Ron was already out there and was practicing defending the goal with an enchanted Quaffle that kept flying at the different hoops.  
  
"Good luck guys." Hermione said as she ran up to them and gave Harry and Ginny a quick hug. "He's been out here for hours." She added glancing up at Ron.  
  
"Thanks Hermione." Harry said as he smiled and headed airborne to join Ron. The rest of the team followed and they began doing drills to get ready for the game.  
  
Within a half hour, stands were packed with eager fans. It seemed that most of the Ravenclaws were supporting Gryffindor and Harry even noticed Luna cheering furiously with her unusual Lion's head hat on.  
  
"Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the first Quidditch match of the year between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff." Came an unfamiliar voice. Harry had been so used to hearing Lee Jordan announce the Quidditch matches that it was odd to hear anyone else do it. "I'm Steven Cornfoot and I'll be announcing today's action."  
  
The crowd cheered crazily as all the Quidditch players who had been warming up, landed on the ground for announcements.  
  
"Introducing first, the Hufflepuff team." Cornfoot continued. "Captain and Chaser Zacharias Smith. Chasers' Susan Bones and Owen Cauldwell. Beaters Kevin Whitby and Ernie Macmillan. Keeper Wayne Hopkins. And the new Seeker for the Hufflepuff team Eleanor Branstone." The crowd gave an enthusiastic yell in support of the team.  
  
"And now the defending champion Gryffindor squad." Cornfoot shouted loudly over the screams and cheers. "Captain and Keeper Ron Weasley. Chasers Dean Thomas, Ginny Weasley and Geoffrey Hooper. Beaters Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper. And returning from suspension, Seeker Harry Potter." The crowd went wild as the Gryffindor players waved graciously to the crowd. Harry quickly surveyed his competition at seeker. She was small and no doubt very fast. She had what looked to be a fairly new Nimbus broom. But she was also inexperienced. This was her first match and Harry would definitely use that to his advantage. They all came to the middle of the pitch and after Ron and Zacharias shook hands, the game began.  
  
"Madam Hooch releases the Quaffle and we're under way." Cornfoot began. "Ginny Weasley has the Quaffle and quickly looks to start a scoring drive, she does a quick dive to avoid a screaming bludger and launches the ball upward to a streaking Dean Thomas. Man can he fly! He whips past Bones and puts a shot on the right hoop. Score! Gryffindor leads 10-0.  
  
Harry called out congratulations to Dean and then began to survey the sky. The snitch normally wouldn't appear this early in the game but Quidditch was unpredictable. Out of the corner of his eye Harry could see that the Hufflepuff seeker was watching him intently. Her strategy was obviously to mirror him. So Harry decided to have a little fun with her. He dove straight down towards the ground. He could feel that Branstone was tailing him closely and at the last second he pulled up and zoomed straight back up to the sky. The Hufflepuff seeker had a tough time correcting herself but Harry was impressed at her recovery. Many seekers wouldn't have been able to avoid hitting the ground.  
  
"Smith is bearing down on Weasley." Cornfoot brought Harry's attention back to the game. "It's a one on one. Smith shoots on the bottom goal. Save! Amazing Ron Weasley hung from his broom with one hand and made an unbelievable kick save."  
  
"Now Gryffindor is back in possession of the Quaffle. Thomas passes to Weasley, back to Thomas. They are trading passes back and forth. Weasley fakes a shot, passes to Thomas who smacks a shot with the back of his broom right through the goal for another Gryffindor point. And Gryffindor now leads 70-0."  
  
Harry was now searching the sky intently for the snitch. They had a good lead, but were still vulnerable if Hufflepuff caught the snitch as it is worth 150 points. Then, as if on queue, Harry saw a hint of the tiny golden ball near the stands on the right said. He set out after it with the Hufflepuff Seeker hot on his heals. The Snitch darted downward and Harry made a quick dive. Branstone obviously was not to keen on following Harry toward the ground again, so she was proceeding cautiously. So Harry had opened up a lot of ground and was now all alone ready to pounce on the snitch.  
  
"Weasley takes a bludger to the back of the head!" Harry heard and saw Ginny falling through the air from her broom. He quickly broke off from his pursuit of the snitch and was able to fly underneath Ginny and catch her before she hit the ground.  
  
"Amazing. Potter catches Weasley before she hits the ground. But now Branstone is all alone going after the snitch. Potter will never be able to catch her." Harry laid Ginny down on the ground and then set back off after the snitch. But he saw that the announcer was right. Branstone was only about twenty feet from the snitch now and it would be impossible for Harry to catch her. Harry leaned forward on his Firebolt with all his might. The scenery around him was flying by him in a blur.  
  
"Branstone is closing in. Potter has narrowed the gap but he wont get there in time." Harry got to within about thirty feet of the Hufflepuff Seeker when he saw her reach her hand out for the snitch, but before she could get her hands around it, a bludger struck her right in the hand and sent her flying off course. Harry took that opportunity to swoop in and gain victory.  
  
"Unbelievable. Just when the Hufflepuff Seeker was about to catch the Snitch, Ron Weasley the Gryffindor Keeper mind you, grabbed a bat and sent a bludger which caught the Hufflepuff Seeker right in the hand. Harry Potter grabs the snitch. Gryffindor Wins!"  
  
Harry landed and held up the snitch to the crowd who were chanting wildly for Gryffindor. Ginny, who had now regained consciousness, came up and threw her arms around Harry. Then Ron landed and Harry sprinted towards giving him a high five followed by sportly embrace.  
  
"That was brilliant." Harry shouted. All of Gryffindor house was now on the field cheering madly. Harry and Ron were lifted up off the ground and carried off the field as the sounds of Weasley is our King echoed through the pitch. And for a brief moment, Harry felt like all his problems were gone.  
  
Author's Note: Well I hope you like my first attempt at Quidditch. I'm interested to hear what you think. I know some people are not going to be happy about the whole Percy situation. I hope after you hear Percy's explanation of his actions you will accept it one-way or the other. Well that's it for now. Keep Reviewing.  
  
P.S. To answer a question posed by Hermione88220. Yes McGonagall did cancel Hogsmeade trips in the beginning of the story, but that was when she thought Dumbledore was unconscious. Now that Dumbledore is back(even though we know it's Aberforth) they are allowing Hogsmeade trips. Although they may change their minds now that they know that the Death Eaters were planning an attack there. 


	24. Interrogations and Explanations

Chapter 24  
Interrogations and Explanations  
  
The Gryffindor common room exploded with cheers after the big win over Hufflepuff. Seamus (taking over for Fred and George) had taken care of getting butterbeer and various snacks to get the party going. Colin Creevy had been taking magical photos of the game and when Harry got a break from shaking hands of congratulations, he noticed a picture of himself catching the Snitch hanging on the wall, and a similar picture of Ron waking a bludger at the opposing seeker.  
  
The party went on for hours, and everyone was so excited and happy that Harry figured they probably didn't even notice that three of the games stars had already abandoned the festivities. They had tried to enjoy the win. For about twenty minutes they actually did. Seamus came up to Harry and Ron and handed them a butterbeer and then led a toast in Gryffindor honor. But then, the common room portrait opened revealing the sullen face of Charlie Weasley. Thankfully, nobody took notice of him. Charlie Weasley was something of a legend in Gryffindor. He was the last seeker before Harry to lead Gryffindor to the Quidditch cup and was sure that Charlie would not be in the mood to have people fawning over him.  
  
It seemed that nobody really took notice of Charlie except Harry. He didn't say a word or even walk farther into a room. He just nodded to Harry to follow him out and then quickly existed the room. Harry found Ron, Ginny and Hermione quickly and without drawing too much attention to them he made it clear that they had to leave. He knew they understood right away by the way their faces fell with grief. They exited the common room to find their brother waiting there patiently.  
  
"Charlie!" Ginny yelled as she ran up and threw her arms around her big brother.  
  
"Hey Gin." Charlie replied hugging her severely. "Great game, all of you. You were a credit to Gryffindor." "I've never seen a move quite like that Ron." Ron beamed for a second, but only a second. Harry knew that getting a compliment about Quidditch from Charlie would ordinarily have made Ron's week. But things were different right now.  
  
"So. Where is everyone?" Ron asked quietly.  
  
"Dumbledore secured us a room on the first floor." Charlie answered and began making his way towards the stairs. They were able to get down to the first floor without any of the staircases moving on them and they finally made their way to a door that Harry had never been through before. Upon entering, Harry noticed that the room was similar to the Gryffindor common room. There were couches, chairs, and a fireplace. There were also plenty of tables where people could sit down and get work done at.  
  
"This is a lounge for professors." Charlie spoke up as they entered the room. Harry noticed that the Weasleys were gathered around the fireplace on various couches and chairs. They were all there except of course for Percy. "Hello kids." Mr. Weasley said as he and Mrs. Weasley stood up and greeted them. Mr. Weasley made some small talk about the Quidditch match and Mrs. Weasley gave each one of them back breaking hugs and even whispered a thank you into Harry's ears for saving her daughter once again.  
  
Fred and George slapped Harry and Ron on the back and congratulated them on a great win. Bill shook each of their hands and then hugged his little sister and then they all settled in for what would probably be a difficult conversation. Aberforth (who was still assuming the form of Dumbledore even in the Weasley's presence) was there and was sitting in a chair of his own just to the right of the fireplace.  
  
"As you are aware," Aberforth said addressing Ron and Ginny. "Your brother Percy was taken into the Order's custody for alleged Death Eater activities. He has been thoroughly interrogated over the past week and I'm sure you would like to know exactly what are findings were." Ron nodded sternly as tears began to well up in Ginny's eyes. Harry, who was sitting next to Ginny, instinctively grabbed her hand to offer her some kind of comfort. Aberforth nodded in Mr. Weasley's direction and he took over addressing the kids.  
  
"I'm afraid it's not good news." Mr. Weasley started. "He showed no remorse. He said that he was told that You Know Who hand picked him to be the Minister of Magic once his takeover was complete. He said that the Death Eaters were the only people that saw his true potential. He said some pretty horrible things about all of us. He really didn't seem like the same person. But there is no sign of the Imperious Curse and any Polyjuice potion would have worn out by now. I know this is hard to take, but we mustn't let this effect the rest of us. Percy has made his choice and now he will have to deal with the consequences but we still need to stay strong."  
  
Ginny was gripping Harry's hand tightly as she spoke up with a bit of a crack in her voice. "What's going to happen to him?"  
  
"This is confidential." Mr. Weasley started. "We are going to keep Percy and Lucius Malfoy in the dungeon at Grimmauld Place as prisoners of war. There is still a lot of corruption at the ministry. I'm working hard to sort out the good from the bad but it is sometimes hard to see. We are currently trying to find a way to secure Azkaban without the aid of the Dementors."  
  
"What about a trial?" Harry asked.  
  
"Of course he deserves one Harry." Mr. Weasley answered. "And he will get a fair one in due time, but we can't afford to let that happen now. The people already feel like they were betrayed by Fudge, how would it look if the new minister's son went on trial for being a Death Eater?" Harry understood the point well. Mr. Weasley needed the support of the entire Wizarding World if they were to sustain Voldemort's impending attacks.  
  
"I just don't understand." Mrs. Weasley sobbed. "He wasn't the same boy I raised." She threw her hands over her face and quickly sped out of the room crying. Curiously, it was Ron who ran out after her. Mr. Weasley started to get up also but then seemed to realize quickly that he needed to stay to answer some questions.  
  
"Is there any good news?" Harry asked, diverting everyone's attention back. "What happened with the interrogation of Lucius?"  
  
"I don't want you kids getting caught up in the details." Mr. Weasley said dryly. "But we got some valuable information and we are hopeful that we will be able to rescue Hagrid soon. We'll let you know if anything further comes up. But for now go on with your business the best you can. Don't alarm the other students. I know you lot have more responsibility than any teenagers should have, but you just have to do your best to stay focused." Mr. Weasley got up, shook Aberforth's hand and then stuck his hand out to his daughter.  
  
"Now we all have to be going." He said motioning to his other sons. Fred and George shook Aberforth's hand and then Harry's. Harry noted that it was eerie seeing Fred and George acting so timidly. It couldn't have been easy bringing in their own brother. "Why don't you come along too Ginny. I'm sure your mother would like to say goodbye before we leave." Ginny got up and joined the rest of her family and began to leave the room. Mr. Weasley pulled Harry aside to say goodbye and asked that he keep an especially keen eye and Ginny.  
  
"Well, I best be going too." Aberforth spoke up once all the Weasleys were gone. "As you can imagine, I have quite a lot to attend to right now." Hermione and Harry nodded and bid him goodbye. They both collapsed on the couch in a heap. It had been a very emotional day for everyone. Harry knew that this was a very difficult time for the Weasley's and since they were like family to him he was sorry for them. But he had always like Percy the least of all Ron's family and he was actually in a better mood upon hearing that Hagrid could be rescued soon. He had hoped to get some more information from Fred and George regarding a possible rescue mission for Hagrid but considering the current circumstances he thought it best to delay that for now.  
  
"I can't believe this all happened." Hermione said. "Poor Ron." She said lightly almost under her breath although Harry heard it.  
  
"Speaking of Ron." Harry said. "What happened with you too last week? You two were acting even more crazy than usual."  
  
"I can't tell you." Hermione responded as she began to blush profusely.  
  
"I'm not completely daft you know Hermione." Harry said cracking a small smile. "I know that there is something going on between you and Ron. You know you can talk to me about it. After all, I talked to you about Cho last year."  
  
"So Ron hasn't mentioned anything?" Hermione asked. Harry had never seen her look so attentive, even in class.  
  
"No, he hasn't." Harry replied.  
  
"Well alright, I mean it would be nice to talk to someone and I can't really talk to Ginny considering Ron's her brother." Hermione started. "But... oh... no Harry I can't. The three of us have been such good friends and I don't think I could talk to you about this. Besides, I'm sure you wouldn't understand my point of view and then you and Ron would go on and on talking about how silly you think I acted."  
  
"I promise." Harry replied. "I won't even tell Ron that I know anything." Harry had previously decided to stay out of Ron and Hermione's private business. However, curiosity was getting the better of him and now he was really interested to find out what was going on.  
  
"Okay, as long as you promise." Hermione said smiling a little. Harry nodded in agreement. "Well as you probably know, the two of us started have some feelings for each other over the past couple of years. I think we both tried to ignore it as much as we could. But then, this summer one night we were alone at Grimmauld Place playing chess. He beat me and as usual began to gloat. I called him a jerk and went to leave the room. But he stopped me and before we knew it we... were kissing."  
  
Harry couldn't help but laugh out loud, mostly out of embarrassment from hearing about his best friends snogging.  
  
"Shut it Harry." Hermione scowled hitting him on the shoulder. "I knew you were too immature to hear this. Just like Ron. I swear they're like children." She was talking to herself and had gotten up off the couch but Harry quickly grabbed her.  
  
"I'm sorry." He replied. "Go on, I promise I won't laugh again." It was clear that Hermione must have really wanted to get all of this off her chest or she probably wouldn't have accepted Harry's plea to continue with the story.  
  
"Like I was saying." She started back up. "We kissed and then we didn't really know what to do. So we decided to keep it a secret. We didn't know how you would feel about it. We didn't want you to feel awkward especially with everything you've had to deal with."  
  
"I thought you'd know that I want you and Ron to be happy no matter what." Harry responded in a serious tone. He didn't like the fact that Ron and Hermione felt like they had to hide their true feelings for his benefit.  
  
"Of course we knew you would be supportive." Hermione answered. "But we just thought that a change like that might be too much for you to handle." Harry did understand her point. Losing Sirius hurt him a lot and especially after all the anger he had shown the previous year, he could see how Ron and Hermione might have been afraid to risk hurting him at all.  
  
"I understand." Harry said. "I appreciate the loyalty you two always show me." Hermione just smiled and looked down.  
  
"But this still doesn't explain what happened with you two last week." Harry added getting back to the subject at hand.  
  
"Oh yes well, you see, nobody knew that Ron and I were ya know secretly together." She said. "So at dinner one night I told Ron that I needed to go to the library, but I asked him to meet me in the Room of Requirements at around 9. We were scheduled to monitor the hallways at ten and so I figured we could... do homework there undisturbed until our shift was ready to start."  
  
"Uh huh." Harry said stifling a laugh. He wanted to hear the rest of the story so he put his hand conveniently over his face to conceal any signs of a smile.  
  
"Well apparently after I left the dinner table, Luna approached Ron and asked him for some help with some spells that she was having trouble with in Defense Against the Dark Arts." Hermione continued. "Now I have realized that Luna has had a crush on Ron since last year but apparently he didn't know. So you can imagine my surprise when I arrived at the Room of Requirements and found the two of them alone."  
  
"What did you do?" Harry asked.  
  
"Well, I may have overreacted a little." Hermione said smirking a little.  
  
"What did you do?" Harry asked a little more sternly.  
  
"I uh... turned both of them into toads."  
  
"YOU WHAT!" Harry yelled a little.  
  
"Well he should have known better than to be alone with another girl like that. Especially Luna." Hermione replied as she began to imitate Luna's voice. "Oh Ronald that was a great Quidditch match, oh Ronald you're so good at chess, oh Ronald could you teach me how to do that spell. I mean come on."  
  
"Hermione, you know Ron had a right to be angry." Harry replied.  
  
"Well I did apologize didn't I." Hermione answered. "After he admitted he was wrong for being alone with her of course."  
  
"You're both mental." Harry added with a sharp smile. "Hey why hasn't Luna said anything about this?" "Well I know that you trust Luna and consider her a friend." Hermione began sheepishly. "And I didn't want to have anything I did jeopardize that. So, I did a tiny little memory charm on her."  
  
"Couldn't that have been dangerous?" Harry asked. "And when did you learn to do memory charms.  
  
"No, I just had to make her forget about ten minutes. It is a simple spell, no danger at all. It's more complicated memory charms that can be dangerous. And I learned how to do it after all the research I have been doing to help Neville."  
  
"How is that going by the way?" Harry asked. He and Ron had been helping Hermione research Memory charms but Harry knew that she would do most of the real work on her own.  
  
"As far as I can tell," Hermione responded. "It is possible to reverse his memory charm without harming him. I am studying different spells now, trying to figure out which would be the most appropriate. The problem is, I can't practice the spell on anyone and I wouldn't want to try it on Neville without practice. If something went wrong I'd never forgive myself."  
  
Harry contemplated that for a moment. He agreed that he didn't want any harm to come to Neville, but there had to be a way. "I'll think about it." Harry replied. "I'm sure there is a way." Hermione nodded and went to stand up.  
  
"We should probably get back to the common room." She stated.  
  
"Yea, you're right." Said Harry. "Your boyfriend could probably use your support right now." Harry specifically used the word boyfriend to reiterate the fact that they didn't need to keep it secret anymore and Harry could tell by the look in her eyes, that she appreciated it. So after a quick hug, they headed back to the common room.  
  
McGonagall had apparently been around recently to end the festivities in the Gryffindor common room because the room was basically empty except for a few read-heads sitting around the fire. Harry and Hermione approached the pair and Hermione gave Ron a surprising kiss on the lips as she sat down next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder. He initially looked shocked and looked at Harry sheepishly but quickly settled in and extended his arm around her.  
  
"How's your mum?" Harry asked as he sat down at a chair across from Ginny and gave her a brief smile.  
  
"She'll be alright." Ron replied and then took his arm away from Hermione and sat up a little straighter. "I just wanted to say that from this moment on, I don't want to hear Percy's name mentioned again. As far as I'm concerned, he's dead. We have many more important things to worry about." With that he got up and headed up the stairs to the boy's dormitory. Harry, Hermione and Ginny sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Ginny finally broke it.  
  
"Fred and George are moving to Hogsmeade this week." Ginny spoke up. "They are going to be living in a little place over by the Hog's Head. They told Ron and I that they have some things to talk to us about. That said to meet them there on Saturday as soon as we get in."  
  
"What do they want to talk to us about?" Harry asked. "Hagrid?"  
  
"I don't know." Ginny said. "For once in their life they didn't say much. They just told us to meet them there." Harry nodded and Ginny began to get up from the couch. It had been a long day for her and Harry kissed her softly on the forehead before pulling her closely into a hug. She then ascended the stairs to the girl's dormitory leaving Harry and Hermione alone again.  
  
"Do you think they are going to be alright?" Hermione asked peering cautiously at Harry.  
  
"Yea, they'll be fine." Harry replied with a soft smile. But in his mind he knew that there were going to be many more hard times ahead of them, and things would probably get worse before they got much better.  
  
Author's Note: I hope you liked this chapter. I think it provided a little insight into what's going on with R/Hr. I think often times in stories where Harry is paired with Ginny, Ron and Hermione often take a back seat to her but I'm trying to keep them right in the center of the story like I know JKR will. In the next chapter, Fred and George will reveal some interesting things, and the kids will try to enjoy Hogsmeade a little. Also, as you have probably all heard, JKR mentioned on her website that the character Mark Evans was nobody. This throws a little wrench into my plot because I definitely had some plans for that character towards the end of the story. I'm not going to go back and edit him out of the story, but I'm also not going to use that character much as a result so don't be surprised if you don't see much of that character again. Thanks as always! Keep Reviewing! 


	25. Hope and Fear

Chapter 25 Hope and Fear  
  
On Thursday morning, Harry woke up with a groan. Thursday was his least favorite day of the week, probably because he had to start off the day with Snape in Potions. Harry glanced over at Ron's bed and noticed that he was already gone. Ron had been especially grumpy all week. He was secluding himself in his room a lot and barely saying anything at meals. Hermione mentioned a couple of times that Harry should talk to him, but Harry knew Ron too well. He just needed time to blow off some steam and besides if he talked to him then he would have to mention Percy which he knew Ron didn't want to hear.  
  
Dobby had been by the previous morning to give Harry a report on Dumbledore. It seemed that there was little change. Dobby did say that his color and temperature were good, but that he was not making any movements such as blinking. And he had not screamed at all in Dobby's presence. Harry didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing. He thought to himself that he should go down and check on him soon.  
  
"Mornin Harry." Neville said as he stretched out his arms and threw his feet on to the floor.  
  
"Good Morning." Harry replied.  
  
"Hey, I thought you had an early class?" Neville added looking curiously at Harry.  
  
Harry grabbed his watch and realized that he had to be in Potions in ten minutes. Neville must not have had a class first hour.  
  
Harry threw on his clothes and took off in a sprint for the Dungeons. He threw the portal hole open and ran to the staircases while hearing the fat lady scream about his rudeness as he went. Eight minutes he thought as he looked at his watch again. He was flying down the staircase and looked like he might make it until one of the staircases changed. When he finally made it to the dungeon he was two minutes late which wouldn't have been so bad if it were another teacher, but he knew Snape would never let it pass.  
  
"So Mr. Potter, you finally decided to join us." Snape said as soon as Harry opened the door. Harry was certain that Snape was starring at the door waiting for him to come through it. "Let's see. That will be ten points from Gryffindor and I shall speak to you after class about arranging a detention." Harry just nodded and took a seat next to Hermione. He didn't want to give Snape the satisfaction of knowing that he was angry and he definitely didn't want any more points to be taken from Gryffindor.  
  
The lesson was actually very useful and may have even been enjoyable if there had been another professor teaching it. They were learning how to brew a blood-clotting potion.  
  
"If your potion is brewed successfully, it should be white in color and fairly thick. When applied to an open wound, this potion will stop the flow of blood out of the body." Snape said. "Now get to work."  
  
Thankfully, Harry had Hermione as his partner on this potion as it was a very difficult one to brew.  
  
"Now, stir clockwise forty-two times." Hermione said reading the instructions off her parchment while adding a pinch of Graphorn eyelashes. In the end, their potion looked very good and Harry and Hermione were confident that they would get full marks.  
  
"All right times up." Snape said shrilly. "Everyone bottle up your potion and bring it to my desk and then you may leave. Except for you Potter. Come to my office." Snape walked to the back of the room and held the door of his office open for Harry to come through and then motioned for him to sit.  
  
"I don't know why you continue to think that you have the right to come and go as you please, but I for one am not going to stand for it." Snape yelled. Harry knew that Snape was trying to get a rise out of him but years of experience had taught him that losing his temper would do no good.  
  
"WELL, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?" He yelled again. Harry just continued to stare at Snape without blinking.  
  
"I'm sorry sir," Harry finally replied a bit sarcastically. "It won't happen again." Snape just glared strongly. It was clear that he was unsure about what to do or say.  
  
"Detention, here tomorrow night at seven." He finally squawked. "Now get out of my sight." Harry didn't need to be told twice. He would rather be in the presence of anyone else in the world than Snape. Sometimes he felt like he'd even rather deal with Voldemort.  
  
Unfortunately, he didn't have much time in between his first two classes and so now as a result of his encounter with Snape he was late to his second class, Defense Against the Dark Arts. Fortunately, the teacher was Professor Lupin so Harry figured he wouldn't get any further reprimand.  
  
"Sorry I'm late professor." Harry said as he entered the room and quickly took a vacant seat next to Ron. "I got held..."  
  
"No need to explain." Lupin interrupted holding up his right hand. "Hermione's already told me."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Now then class." Lupin started. "Today we are going to learn a very useful spell in dueling. It is not all that powerful, but it can often give you the quick edge you need. It severely restricts the breathing of your opponent for about five seconds. Now I know that doesn't sound like much, but sometimes five seconds is all you need. So are there any volunteers?" Nobody in the class particularly felt like having this spell performed on them. No one raised their hands and most people were avoiding the professor's eyes.  
  
Harry figured that he had been through much worse in his life so he decided to help his old friend out and threw up his hand.  
  
"You are all going to be practicing it on one another so someone might as well volunteer." Lupin continued. "Ah yes Harry thank you. Come up." Harry walked gingerly to the front of the room.  
  
"Now, the incantation is Asphyxio, and it requires one quick sidearm flick of your wand." Lupin stated as he practiced the wand movement for the class. "Now Harry brace yourself. ASPHYXIO!" A jet of blue light shot out of his wand and hit Harry in the chest. The impact was not painful, but Harry quickly felt his chest tighten up and he grabbed his throat unable to process any air. But just as quickly, the curse wore off and he was able to take in a big breathe of air.  
  
"Now pair up and practice on one another." Lupin said as he helped Harry to his feet. "Don't tense up when you get hit with the curse, remember it will only last a few seconds." Harry paired up with Neville, while Ron and Hermione paired with each other. It really was a simple spell. Almost everyone was able to get it there first or second time including Neville.  
  
"Very good everyone." Lupin shouted. "Well that's all for today. The DA meeting this week is canceled so I'll see you all in class tomorrow."  
  
"Hey mate." Harry said to Ron as they were all exiting the classroom. "So are we having Quidditch practice this week?" Harry was trying to snap Ron out of the current funk that he was in and so he mentioned Quidditch because it usually put him in a better mood.  
  
"Nah." Ron replied. "Our next match isn't until February. I'm going to let the team have a couple of weeks off."  
  
"Oh, okay." Harry replied. He wasn't really overly concerned with Ron's behavior before, but now he started to think that maybe Hermione was right and he should talk to him privately. It wasn't like Ron to ever want to take a break from Quidditch.  
  
After lunch they all made their way to Care of Magical Creatures. It was Ron and Harry's last class of the day. Harry was thinking the whole time about a way to snap Ron out of his current funk so he was barely listening when Professor Grubbly-Plank (who was substituting for Hagrid) started teaching them about Jobbernoll's. Harry noticed that it was a rather ugly looking bird and he thought he heard the Professor say something about them being good help in potion making. Of course Hermione was busy taking notes so Harry didn't worry as much about it.  
  
When they got back to the common room, Ron headed straight for the boys dormitory, but Harry stopped him before he could get there.  
  
"Ron," Harry said softly as he approached his friend. "Would you mind coming down to the Chamber with me to check on Dumbledore. I don't really like going down there alone." Harry could tell that Ron would rather not go, but he knew that he would say yes anyways.  
  
In truth, Harry actually didn't mind going down into the Chamber alone. He didn't think that there was much to be afraid of now especially after the basilisk was killed. However, this would be a good opportunity for him to talk to Ron alone. So after grabbing the Marauder's Map and his invisibility cloak, Harry and Ron made their way to the familiar setting of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.  
  
Thankfully, the corridor appeared to be empty so Ron and Harry didn't have to squeeze under the invisibility cloak together before entering. In the past Ron, Harry and Hermione were all able to fit under the cloak easily but now after a couple of years of growth it would have been pretty uncomfortable for the two sixteen year old boys to fit.  
  
"So what's going on with you?" Harry asked as they entered the abandoned bathroom. He didn't want to give Ron a reason to turn back so he avoided asking him anything until they were alone.  
  
"Nothing." Ron shrugged.  
  
"Oh come on Ron." Harry started. "No Quidditch practice?" Ron paused for a minute starring intently into Harry's questioning green eyes and then as if conceding that he wasn't going to be able to get out of there without giving Harry an answer he began to open up.  
  
"It's that lousy git Percy Harry." Ron replied. "He's an embarrassment to our family. And worse than that, if you can't trust your own blood than who can you trust. I keep thinking about how much danger I could have put you and Hermione in by having a brother that's a Death Eater." Ron took a piece of rock that looked to be a piece of the floor that had eroded away from all the water damage and threw it at the already splintered mirror on the wall shattering it.  
  
"Ron, how many times have you and Hermione told me that all this is not my fault." Harry began. "I felt responsible for Cedric, I felt responsible for Sirius. But you two made me realize that those things were Voldemort's doing not mine. Now I'll say it to you. This is Percy's doing, not yours. We don't have the luxury of time to feel sorry for ourselves Ron. We're in a war now, and I need you there with me." Harry saw Ron's chest rise with pride and extended a hand out to his best friend, which was returned with a quick but firm embrace. Ron didn't have to say anything to confirm that he understood what Harry had said.  
  
"I'm sorry Harry." Ron added. But Harry just waved him off.  
  
"There's nothing to be sorry for Ron we just...." But Harry was interrupted by a large high-pitched scream coming from the Chamber. Harry opened the passageway quickly and instinctively both boys jumped down into the Chamber. However, when they got there what they saw was quite unexpected. Dobby was standing on the bed with a look of terror on his face, but the headmaster was gone.  
  
"Dobby what happened?" Harry shouted.  
  
"Dobby is coming to check on the headmaster just as Harry Potter is asking him." Dobby shrieked. "But when Dobby is getting here sir the headmaster is gone." Harry was starring at Dobby and the bed in shock. He didn't know what to do. Should they search the Chamber? He was frozen until Ron finally snapped him out.  
  
"Harry we need to get out of here." Ron said tugging on Harry's robes. Harry quickly came to his senses and realized that Ron was right. Harry realized that he might have severely underestimated the danger of Salazar Slytherin's Chamber.  
  
"You're right." Harry answered. "We need to get to Aberforth straight away." The two boys ran back over to the entrance and were about to grab hold of the automatic rope that would send them flying back up when Dobby reached out and grabbed both of there robes. With a crack, the world around him faded to black before rematerializing outside the headmaster's office.  
  
"Ton-Tongue Toffee." Harry bellowed and together with Ron and Dobby got on the spiraling staircase that took them up to Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Aberforth!" Harry shouted as he saw him come into view behind his desk. "It's Dubledore, he's gone." All the pictures of the old headmasters woke up and started chattering loudly.  
  
"Calm down Harry." He said softly. "What happened?"  
  
"We went down to the Chamber to check on him and his body was gone." Harry said so quickly that Aberforth could probably barely understand him.  
  
"Curious." Aberforth said starring over at the vacant perch that Fawkes usually sat on.  
  
"What is?" Ron asked.  
  
"Late last night I was sitting at my desk, when all of a sudden Fawkes just POOF, disappeared." Aberforth stated. "Loyal pets phoenix's are. I just assumed that someone friendly to Albus needed her help so she went. It never occurred to me that she would be going to help Albus himself."  
  
"So you think Dumbledore's awake?" Harry asked nervously. "You think he's in trouble?"  
  
"I don't know." Aberforth answered. "But we shall find out soon enough. If someone has captured Albus, then it won't be long until the school comes under attack. However, it is entirely possible that he has simply woken up and gone straight to attending to business that he had. If this is the case, then I'm sure he'll be in contact with us soon. Either way, we will find out soon. Until then, I don't want any of you going near the Chamber. I am putting the teachers on full alert and I'm going to ask Professor Lupin to assemble a student defense team that will aid the teachers if there is an attack."  
  
"But Dumbledore wouldn't just wake up and then leave without telling us." Harry replied. Aberforth starred off into space for a minute and Harry thought for a moment that he saw a brief smile break across his face.  
  
"I'd of thought that you knew how unpredictable Albus could be." Aberforth stated. "If he did leave of his own accord, I'm sure he has his reasons." Harry couldn't imagine Dumbledore waking up and not contacting him, but he hoped that was the case. The alternative was too grave to think about. If someone had broken into the Chamber and found Dumbledore's lifeless body, then they would know that Aberforth was an imposter and Hogwarts would truly be in danger.  
  
"Now you two get back to your common room. No stops."  
  
"Yes sir." Harry and Ron said in unison.  
  
"And Ron." Aberforth continued. "Alert the school prefects that the Hogsmeade trip on Saturday will be canceled." Ron agreed and together the two boys made their way swiftly to the Gryffindor common room.  
  
Harry and Ron gravitated quickly towards Ginny and Hermione who were sitting on the couch doing revisions. The girls could tell right away that there was something going on by the looks on Harry and Ron's faces.  
  
"What is it?" Ginny asked. Harry raised his finger to his mouth to symbolize that he couldn't talk about it out loud when the common room was still fairly occupied. So Harry sat down and grabbed Hermione's quill and parchment and started writing down everything. Hermione and Ginny read it side by side and then Hermione set the page on fire with a quick tap of her wand and threw it into the fire.  
  
"What about Fred and George?" Ginny asked. "We're supposed to meet them in Hogsmeade."  
  
"We're still going." Harry replied adamantly. "I'll send them an owl to tell them we will meet them Saturday night. It will be too easy for us to be seen during the day." Not even Hermione could argue that they would need to sneak out to see Fred and George. Especially now in light of the new circumstances.  
  
After another half hour of planning, Harry and Ron headed to bed while Hermione went to inform the head boy and head girl about the cancellation of Hogsmeade.  
  
Harry concentrated on his Occlumency lessons before he fell asleep and was able to have a dreamless sleep.  
  
The next morning, Harry went and sent that owl to Fred and George before his first class, Transfiguration. Before class, McGonagall stated that they were enforcing curfew at 9:00pm every night. She said that teachers would be monitoring the halls round the clock and that anyone caught out of bounds would pay a severe price. Ron and Hermione were upset to find out that prefects would have to help monitor the halls more often then usual now. Previously, they only had to do one shift a week, but now they were scheduled for three a week and they were distressed when McGonagall informed them that they'd be patrolling Saturday night.  
  
"Just bloody great." Ron said after he caught up with Harry in the Great Hall for lunch. He had apparently been pleading to McGonagall to switch days but it was no use. "Now what are we going to do?"  
  
"Don't worry about it." Harry answered. "I can go alone. It might actually make it easier. I can hide under the invisibility cloak and make it there without being seen with ease."  
  
"I don't know Harry." Hermione spoke up in a concerned tone. "I don't like the idea of you going alone. You never know what could happen."  
  
"He's not going alone." Ginny said as she joined them at the table and sat down next to Harry. "Don't tell me you're trying to break our date Potter." Ginny menacingly pointed her wand at Harry before a smile broke largely across her. It was the first time that Harry had seen her smile since hearing the news about Percy. He couldn't argue with the logic. It would be smart to have someone else along with him.  
  
"It's settled then." Hermione started. "Ron and I will make sure that the third floor corridor is clear so that you two can escape through the secret passageway." Everyone agreed and it was set. Harry hoped that Fred and George would be able to give him some answers.  
  
After lunch, Harry headed to Potions were Snape was more than happy to remind him that he had to serve detention that night. In his last class of the day, Lupin announced the formation of the student defense team. He said that they would be having a meeting on Monday and that any student fifth year and above that would be willing to help the teachers if there was ever an attack on the school.  
  
When they got back to the common room after Defense Against the Dark Arts, everyone was talking about the student defense team.  
  
"I heard that You Know Who has been spotted at Hogsmeade." Harry heard a younger Gryffindor boy say.  
  
"Let's hope that's not true." Ron added.  
  
"He wouldn't show his face here." Ginny said loudly so that everyone could hear her. "Not with Dumbledore around." Harry could see that Ginny eased the fears of a lot of the younger students with that statement. But her face fell a little as she approached Harry and sat down next to him. Of course she knew the truth. They didn't know where Dumbledore was. Harry gazed out the window and starred out over the horizon. And pleaded in his own head for Dumbledore to contact him soon.  
  
Author's note: I was writing this chapter and it just kept going and going. Right now it is over 7,000 words so I decided to split it into two so that I could post before the weekend. I hope you like this chapter. It's not terribly exciting, but it is important. Keep reviewing; it always makes me write more. Thanks 


	26. The Den

Author's Note: I know I've been gone for a while and I'm sorry. I have been really busy at work and to be honest I was just a little burned out. Plus I had some things wrong with my plot and I had to completely change some things especially with this chapter. But anyways I'm back and I am excited to be writing the story again. I hope everyone that liked the story will stick with me even though I've taken such a big break. I promise that I will never abandon the story.

P.S.: I have updated this chapter to change Zonkos to Honeydukes.

Chapter 26

The Den

Harry decided to head down to the dungeons for his detention with Snape a little early. He wanted to make sure that he was on time so that Snape wouldn't have a reason to give him another night's detention. He thankfully had no major problems with the staircases so when he made it to the Potions room he was a full ten minutes early. He was about to go inside when he heard voices coming from the room.

"Where is my father?" Sneered the familiar voice of Draco Malfoy.

"I'd have thought you had more sense than this Draco." Snape replied coolly. "This is a very inappropriate time and place to have this conversation."

"You'd better watch yourself _Professor." _Malfoy retorted. "There has always been a question of where your loyalty truly lies and my father has always been the one to vouch for you. If he were to stay missing, then I might have to start raising questions about you."

"Don't threaten me boy." Snape said with a mixture of anger and anxiety in his voice. "I certainly don't need to answer to you."

"No, but you do need to answer to the Dark Lord." He replied. "My father is one of his most loyal servants and your job is to find out what that fool Dumbledore and his friends know."

"Don't tell me what my job is." Snape yelled and Harry thought he heard the sounds of Snape grabbing onto Malfoy. "I don't want to hear anything about this from you again." It sounded as though Snape had released him and Harry heard Malfoy walking towards the door so he ducked around the corner.

"I know they have him and I'm going to find out one way or another Professor." Malfoy said calmly as he exited the room. Malfoy walked up the stairs and out of sight and Harry decided that he would wait a minute before entering the room so that Snape wouldn't know he had heard the conversation. But before Harry could enter the room, Snape swept out of the room and up the stairs leaving a bit of parchment attached to the door. Harry waited until he was sure it was clear, and then came out from the shadows to read it.

Detention canceled Potter. I will talk to you Monday about rescheduling.

Harry thought that Malfoy's threats had obviously flustered the Potions master. The question was why. Dumbledore had always said that he trusted Snape but Harry and especially Ron had never understood why. If it wasn't clear before, it was clear now that Snape was a double agent. Both sides think that he is working under cover for them.

Harry made it back to the Gryffindor common room and talked the whole situation over with Ron and Hermione. They came to the conclusion that there was not much that they could do about Snape now except keep an eye on him. Harry knew that they weren't the only ones that had there reservations about Snape and he was fairly certain that the members of the Order wouldn't give him any crucial information.

"So no word from Dumbledore yet?" Hermione whispered. They were in a corner of the common room by themselves but there were other people dispersed around.

"No." Harry replied. "And I don't understand it. If the Death Eaters captured him, than I would have thought they would have attacked by now and if he left by himself than he should have contacted us."

"Let's just hope we hear something soon." Ron responded. "I can't even contemplate what it would mean if they have Dumbledore."

"But how could they get him?" Hermione asked. "It would be impossible for a Death Eater to get into Hogwarts."

"Maybe there is another way into the Chamber." Ron stated.

"It's possible." Harry replied. "But I doubt it. The chamber is so far underground and besides if Voldemort knew of another entrance then he would have come up and attacked from there before."

"So if there is no other entrance, and no Death Eater could have possibly got into Hogwarts, then Dumbledore couldn't possibly have been kidnapped." Ron said with a fair amount of hope in his voice.

"Unless it was an inside job." Hermione said gravely. "We know there is a traitor in the Order. And after our second year, all the teachers know where the Chamber is."

"But no one knew Dumbledore was down there except us and Aberforth." Ron added. They all looked at each other intensely without speaking.

"I think we can trust Aberforth." Harry finally said breaking the silence. "He's given me no reason not to trust him ... but at this point we have to explore every possibility."

Harry excused himself and headed up to the boys dormitory. He couldn't help thinking about who the traitor could be. Of course it could be Snape; he had always been the obvious answer. But then again, what did he really know about Aberforth? He was putting a lot of faith in a man who he had never known up until this year.

All of the unanswered questions floating around in his head prevented Harry from getting much sleep that night and Friday passed in a sleep deprived blur. Thankfully, on Friday night he was so tired that no amount of worrying would have been able to keep him from sleeping. And when he woke up early on Saturday morning, he felt a bit more refreshed than he had in ages.

Since he had fallen asleep so early on Friday night, he had apparently woken Saturday morning before anyone else in Gryffindor house. He made his way down to the common room which was completely empty and settled down in front of the fireplace to get some studying in. He was able to work for about an hour before he finally got a visitor in the common room.

"Morning Harry." Ginny said with a grin as she came in and sat down next to him. She had been a little distant every since the incident with Percy and Harry was glad to see that she was starting to act more like herself again.

"Morning Gin." Harry replied as he started putting his books and parchment away.

"Are we all set for tonight?" She asked sweetly.

"Yea, I sent an owl to Fred and George so they will be expecting us." Harry replied. "Hopefully they will have some good news for us."

"Yea, hopefully." Ginny responded starring at the floor. Harry could tell that she had more to say.

"Is there something wrong?" He spoke up. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Nothing. It's stupid."

"I'm sure it's not stupid. Just tell me."

"It's just that I've thought about going on a date with you for a long time." Ginny started blushing a little. "And I was looking forward to going to Hogsmeade together so much and with everything that is happening, I just get this feeling that we're never going to get the chance to really have fun and have a proper date."

"I know it feels like that sometimes. But I promise you that before the year is over we will have a proper date." Ginny's eyes seemed to gleam a bit and she reached over and pulled Harry into a tight hug.

"Thanks Harry." She said as she pulled away from him. He just smiled and leaned in to give her a kiss but was interrupted when one of the doors in the common room opened and some first years came bounding through it. The two quickly jumped apart from each other and began laughing out loud.

"Well I'm sure no one will interrupt in the secret passageway tonight." Ginny whispered in Harry's ear as she got up and headed back up the stairs to the fifth year girls dorm. And suddenly, Harry could not wait for nine o'clock.

At around 8:30pm, Harry met Ginny in the Gryffindor common room with his invisibility cloak and the Marauders Map. Earlier in the day, they had made a plan to meet Ron and Hermione in the 3rd floor corridor around 8:45. Hopefully, they would be able to clear the hallway so that Harry and Ginny could get past the statue of the humpbacked witch and through the secret passage without incident. Since the curfew for students was 9:00, it seemed reasonable that the hallways would be fairly clear by that time.

"We should get going." Ginny said, tapping Harry on the shoulder. Harry nodded in agreement and they set out through the door. Thankfully, at that moment no one else was coming in or out so they were able to exit the common room unnoticed. They climbed down the stairs and made it to the third floor and found Ron and Hermione waiting for them in a seemingly deserted hallway.

"Any problems?" Harry asked as he approached his friends.

"No, s'been fine." Ron replied. "No one has been down this way for about ten minutes."

"Brilliant." Harry said as he pulled the invisibility cloak out from a pocket in his robe.

"Now remember Harry, our shift ends at midnight so do try to be back by then." Hermione added as Harry threw the cloak over himself and Ginny.

"Right." Harry answered. "We'll be back in time."

"Say hi to them for me." Ron added as the two sets of friends started to descend down different ends of the hallway. Even though Ginny was relatively small, the two teenagers had to stay fairly close to stay under the invisibility cloak. Harry reached his hand behind him and grabbed Ginny's hand in order to make it easier to maneuver the hallway together.

As they made it through the secret passageway, Harry pulled the invisibility cloak of himself and Ginny and then quickly grabbed her hand again as they started to descend the seemingly endless amount of stairs that lie in front of them. They both lit their wands to provide some light in an otherwise dark passageway.

"This is really creepy Harry." Ginny said breaking the silence after a few minutes of walking. "I can't believe that you've done this alone before."

"It's not so bad." Harry replied as the stairs stopped and the tunnel began to even out. "I guess I was never really scared because nobody really knows about it." Harry had never really taken a good long look at the tunnel before and as he looked around he concurred with Ginny that it was a bit creepy.

"Wormtail would know about it wouldn't he?" Ginny asked. Harry sensed a fair amount of fright in her voice and she jumped a little at a noise that coincidentally turned out to be a rat scurrying down the corridor. Although this rat, Harry noticed, had all of its appendages.

"Actually, I guess you're right." Harry replied. "I never thought of that." Harry pondered this to himself for a moment as he and Ginny began to increase the pace at which they were manipulating the corridor. This was a way into the castle that Voldemort and his Death Eaters possibly knew about. Harry thought to himself that he would have to address this with Aberforth as soon as possible but figured for now he would do his best to relieve Ginny's fears.

"Don't worry Gin. I'm sure that Wormtail doesn't even remember this." Harry said. He stopped Ginny and pulled her closely to him. "And besides I'll protect you." Ginny grinned widely at this comment and seemed to relax a bit as Harry leaned in quickly for a kiss.

"Alright." Ginny conceded. "But let's hurry. I don't fancy being down here longer than we have to." Harry nodded in agreement and they began to walk even more quickly through the tunnel.

Finally, the stairs began to ascend upwards again and before long they were facing the trapdoor that led to Honeydukes. Harry pulled the invisibility cloak out of his pocket and threw it over himself and Ginny once they were through the trap door and on solid ground. Thankfully, Honeydukes was closed so they were able to get through the shop and out onto the streets of Hogsmeade without any trouble at all.

"This way." Ginny said stepping in front of Harry to take the lead. They had decided to keep the invisibility cloak on because you never knew who you might encounter in Hogsmeade. They had to dodge a few people that were making their own way through the streets but all in all, they made it to the Hog's Head fairly easily.

"This is it. Number 41" Ginny said pointing to an apartment in the alley next to the Hog's Head. Harry knocked harshly on the door while keeping the invisibility cloak on.

"Who's there?" George said loudly as he opened the door widely. He stepped aside to allow Harry and Ginny plenty of room to enter.

"Well I guess no one's there." He added as he closed the door behind them. Harry pulled the cloak off of Ginny and himself as soon as the door closed.

"You can never be too careful." Fred said as he shook Harry's hand and then moved on to give his sister a hug. Harry noticed a wooden sign above the door that proclaimed the name of Fred and George's apartment as "The Den".

"I never would have thought that I'd here that statement come from one of your mouths." Ginny said smirking as she pulled back from her brother.

"Unfortunately, things change Gin." George replied.

"Not only are we the children of the Minister of Magic," Fred started. "But we're also members of the Order now and there are a lot of people who would like to exploit those facts." Harry and Ginny nodded and took seats that George conjured out of thin air.

"Now onto why we brought you here." George started. "We have some information that no one else has."

"And we mean no one." Fred added.

"About Hagrid?" Harry asked hopefully.

"It could lead you to Hagrid." George said.

"You know that the Order is confident that Hagrid is being held at Malfoy Manor." Fred started. "Well they have been interrogating Malfoy day and night to find out who the secret keeper is."

"So they finally found out?" Ginny broke in.

"Of course they didn't." Fred replied. "He won't give the information up and we could never subject him to conditions worse than what you know who has done to him."

"What about Veritaserum?" Harry asked.

"That didn't work either." George responded. "Either the potion they used wasn't strong enough or Malfoy's mind is stronger than anyone would like to give him credit for."

"Then what information did you lot find out?" Ginny asked.

"Relax Gin." Fred said. "We're getting there."

"So Fred and I have been working on a bit of a truth potion of our own." George now spoke up. "It's really not very similar to Veritaserum but in this case it served the same purpose."

"What it does is make the person reveal there deepest secret." Fred chimed in. "So we volunteered to bring food down to the prisoners, (all three of the Weasley's faces fell a little when he made this statement) and we slipped a drop of Weasley's Secret Stripper in Malfoy's water."

"The best part was that he wasn't expecting it." George said. "You see Veritaserum has a distinct smell and taste that anyone familiar with it can identify. That's why it is often slipped into a drink that has a strong aroma itself. Our Secret Stripper potion is odorless and tasteless, so when Malfoy examined the water he had no reason to be alarmed and so he let his guard down."

"And as he put down the glass after taking a big sip of his water he told us who the secret keeper of Malfoy Manor is." Fred said smirking.

"Well who is it!" Harry yelled.

"Draco." The twins replied in unison.

Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who reminded me that the secret passageway leads to Honeydukes not Zonkos. I'll remember to check the lexicon for information like that in the future. I've changed it now. Thanks for the reviews everyone, I love hearing your opinions and questions.


	27. A Potion for Draco

Chapter 27

A Potion for Draco

"Draco!" Harry and Ginny shouted back in unison at the twin's revelation.

"That's impossible." Ginny added. "They would never leave that kind of information in the hands of a child."

"Don't be so sure." Fred chimed in. "It's actually quite brilliant."

"No one would ever expect it." George continued.

"He's right Gin." Harry said. "It's just like with my parents. Everyone expected Sirius to be their Secret Keeper. So they made it Wormtail. They thought no one would expect it." Harry's throat choked up a bit and he sat back into his chair to gather his thoughts. The mention of Sirius' name had caused everyone to reflect a bit.

"So what do we do now?" Ginny said breaking the tension.

"We get the information out of Draco at all costs." Harry replied. "Any ideas?" He said glancing at the twins.

"Well we're brewing more Weasley's Secret Stripper but it won't be ready for a week." Fred said glancing at his brother.

"We can't wait that long." Harry responded.

"We could always beat it out of him?" George said with a twinkle in his eye. The twins had never forgotten Malfoy's part in getting them kicked off the Quidditch team the previous year and Harry could tell that they'd like nothing more than to repay him.

"I'm sure Ron would love that." Harry said. "But there are a couple of problems with that. First, I doubt that there's anything we could do to him that would be worse than what Voldemort would do if we told. Second, even if we got the information he could alert the Death Eaters that we were coming."

"So we hold him prisoner until after we get there and rescue Hagrid." Ginny spoke up.

"It's too risky." Harry continued. "People will notice if Draco goes missing, and I wouldn't doubt if he checks in with the Death Eaters frequently. There are already going to be Death Eaters at Malfoy Manor. We need to surprise them if we have any chance of being successful."

"You're forgetting something Harry." Ginny announced as a smile began to creep across her lips. "Or should I say someone."

"What are you getting at Gin?" Harry asked.

"Hermione." Ginny replied. "She's gotten good at memory charms. She can make him forget whatever we want."

"Of course." Harry said. He almost leaned over and kissed Ginny in celebration but thought better of it in the presence of her brothers.

"Great." George said. "So we can beat it out of him."

"Hold on." Harry replied. "We still have to find another way to get the information. I don't think that you guys realize the lengths that Voldemort will go to cause pain to people that disappoint him. I just don't think that there is anything that we are capable of doing to him that would make him give up this information." Fred and George looked a little disappointed but conceded this fact.

"Well we could get our hands on a little Veritaserum if you think that you could get him to drink it." Fred said.

"Could you get it quick?" Harry asked while glancing at the clock on the wall.

"We'll owl it tomorrow." George replied.

"Great." Harry replied. "Now we better get going. We promised Ron and Hermione that we'd make it back by midnight and it's already eleven-thirty." Fred and George nodded an acknowledgement and got up to exchange goodbyes as Harry opened up the invisibility cloak. He threw it over himself and Ginny as George opened up the door.

"Let us know if there is anything else we can do." George whispered as Harry and Ginny crept quietly by them and into the brisk night air.

The streets were all but abandoned which made it easy for Harry and Ginny to make it back to Honeydukes. Once they were back in the secret passageway, Harry removed the cloak from himself and Ginny and they began to make the trek back.

"Do you think this is going to work?" Ginny asked.

"It has to." Harry replied as he tenderly grabbed a hold of Ginny's hand. The manipulated the rest of the passageway in silence until they got back to the entrance. Harry then pulled out the Marauder's Map.

"Is anyone there?" Ginny asked as she tried to look over Harry's shoulder.

"Just Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger." Harry replied as he showed the map to Ginny. "Come on lets go." But before Harry could open the door Ginny grabbed onto his arm and stopped him.

"Thanks for a great first date." She said flashing her eyes at Harry. Harry smiled and leaned in to kiss her, but she dodged him at the last second which almost caused Harry to fall down the stairs that he had just ascended.

"Sorry Potter, I don't kiss on the first date." She said giggling as she opened up the door and disappeared into the hallway. Harry frustrated picked himself up and followed her out the door.

"What's so funny?" Ron asked as he saw the look on Ginny's face.

"Oh, it's none of your bother." Ginny replied.

"Ssshhhh." Hermione said as she approached the three Gryffindor. "You two better throw the cloak over yourselves." Ginny turned around and looked at Harry still giggling and he couldn't help releasing a smile as he threw the cloak over himself and Ginny.

"So do you have good news?" Ron asked in a very light tone.

"Yea." Harry replied. "We have a lot to discuss. We should go to the Room of Requirements."

"Ron and I have to report to McGonagall first." Hermione replied. "We'll meet you there as soon as we can."

Harry and Ginny made there way up to the Room of Requirements and Harry thought about needing a comfortable place to meet without being disturbed. When the door appeared, Harry and Ginny entered to find a small room with two comfortable looking couches and a fire roaring.

Harry took a seat on one of the couches with Ginny settling in right next to him. Harry put a grumpy look on his face to give off the impression of being mad at Ginny for the incident in the secret passageway.

"Oh are you angry with me Harry." Ginny said amusingly. "You know I am the sister of Fred and George and sometimes I can't help messing with you a little when I get the chance. But I bet if you try to kiss me again, you'll get a better result."

"I don't think that would be a good idea." Harry responded with the straightest face that he could muster.

"Why not!" Ginny shouted at him as she lunged in and smacked him on the arm. Harry caught her hand and pulled her close to him as he kissed her on the lips very passionately. She loosened into his arms immediately and put her hand on the back of Harry's head to pull him closer and deepen the kiss. The energy that the two of them were putting out caused Ginny to fall backwards into a laying position although the kiss was never broken. Harry didn't know what to do with his hand but opted to place it on Ginny's side. The feeling of her warm skin sent an unexpected jolt through Harry. But before he could explore that feeling further, the sound of the door opening sent both of them flying back up into a sitting position.

Hermione was first through the door and smiled curiously as she saw Ginny fixing her hair and Harry moving quickly away from her. Ron followed and obliviously made his way over to the couch opposite Harry and Ginny.

"So, what happened?" Ron asked as Hermione sat down next to him and exchanged a knowing grin with Harry and Ginny.

Harry, eager to move past the current embarrassing situation, recounted all of their discussion with Fred and George.

"So what do you think?" Harry asked when he was done with his explanations. "Can we pull this off?" He was directing the question more towards Hermione because she was the one that would have to perform the memory charm on Draco if this was going to work.

"Have you thought of a way to sneak the Veritaserum to Draco?" Hermione asked. "Because the memory charm will be no problem. After all the studying I've done on memory charms to help Neville, making Draco forget one incident should be no problem."

"Actually, no." Harry replied. "I haven't thought of a way yet." The four of them sat there for a few minutes thinking.

"Hermione, how long does Veritaserum last?" Ron asked.

"It depends on the dose really." She replied. "But a normal dose lasts about an hour. Why? What are you playing at?"

"I say we slip it to him at dinner." Ron responded. The other three Gryffindor's listened intently as Ron began to gather a plan in his head. "We'll have to create a diversion at dinner so that someone can sneak over to him under the invisibility cloak and pour it into his pumpkin juice. That part shouldn't be too hard. The hard part will be getting him alone after that."

"I've got an idea." Harry said as he started looking through the pockets of his robes and emerged with a piece of parchment. "This is the note that Snape left for me on his door canceling my detention. I say that at the same time we slip him the Veritaserum, we slip him a note from Snape saying to meet him in the potions classroom immediately after dinner."

"It's a good idea Harry." Hermione said. "But I'm sure Draco knows Snape's handwriting by now. We'll have to copy it and make it look good."

"Don't worry about that." Ron spoke up. "Dean is an expert on forgeries. I can't even tell you the number of times he's gotten us out of class over the years by writing us notes from Madam Pomfrey. The teachers can't even tell the difference."

"Is that so?" Hermione responded glaring at Ron. "You are a prefect and that is no example to be setting. If I find out that..."

"Hermione, let it go for now okay?" Harry said. Hermione huffed to her self and gave Harry an agknowleding nod before sneering briefly at Ron again.

"Alright, now I will go under the invisibility cloak and slip him the Veritaserum and the note." Harry started. "And you three will have to create a diversion. Then, after Draco leaves the Great Hall, someone will have to make sure Snape stays away from the potion's classroom."

"I'll take care of it." Ginny agreed.

"How are you going to do it?" Harry asked.

"I've got a couple of good ideas up my sleeve." She replied. Harry had no reason to doubt her so he moved on with the plan.

"Alright then. Ron, Hermione and I will leave the Great Hall before Draco and be waiting for him in the Potions classroom and you keep Snape away." Harry explained. Everyone nodded and as exhaustion crept over them a contagious series of yawns rippled through the room. They made their way back to the Gryffindor common room quietly. Harry had the Marauder's map out and was able to navigate them back without incident although the fat lady had some choice words for them for coming back this late.

Harry fell asleep with the sinister face of Draco Malfoy invading his dreams.

The next morning was Sunday and when Harry woke up he found the bed's of all the sixth year Gryffindors empty except for Ron's. He was tossing around in his bed lightly and was not at all happy at Harry when he woke him up for breakfast.

"It's already eleven o'clock and I didn't think you would want to miss breakfast." Harry reasoned.

"I was just having a pleasant dream is all." Ron replied as they made their way to the showers to get ready.

"What about?" Harry inquired. Ron's face reddened a bit which was saying something since his complexion was very pink to begin with.

"Never mind." Ron replied with a laugh.

When they made it to the common room before going down to breakfast, Harry noticed Dean studying in the corner alone so he figured it was a good opportunity to ask him about forging the letter from Snape.

Ron went down to breakfast as Harry approached Dean.

"Hey Dean." Harry said.

"Hey Harry." He replied. "What's going on?" Harry was sure that Dean could tell that he was here to ask him something.

"I need a favor no questions asked." Harry said with a very serious look on his face. Dean nodded and waited for Harry to continue. Harry explained what he needed and Dean was happy to oblige.

"Now remember," Harry pleaded. "You can't tell anyone about this, not even Seamus." It seemed that Dean recognized the seriousness of the situation and agreed. He said that it would only take him a few minutes to practice and then he would be able to do it. Harry thanked him and said that he would pick it up after breakfast.

When he got to the breakfast table, Harry saw that Ron had a small package in his hands. He, Ginny, and Hermione were in deep discussion when he sat down.

"Is that what I think it is?" Harry asked.

"Yea." Ron replied. "It was delivered a few minutes ago."

"Then everything is set." Harry said looking around at the other three. They were all a little nervous but there was no turning back now.

When they got back to the common room, Dean very cautiously slipped Harry the forged letter without a word. Everything was now in place. The day seemed to drag on as the four students waited for dinner time to arrive. Hermione insisted that they get some school work done. So the four of them sat at a table doing work until the strike of the clock told them it was dinner time.

"I'm not feeling very well." Harry said loudly so that almost everyone in the fairly crowded common room could hear him. Why don't you go on to dinner without me."

The three of them joined the crowd that was leaving for dinner and Harry went back up to the sixth year boy's dormitory. He made sure that he had the bottle of Veritaserum and the note from Snape and then threw the invisibility cloak over himself.

When he got down to the common room it was now almost empty except for a couple of third years who were getting ready to leave. Harry followed them out the door and made his way to the Great Hall. It was not easy to avoid people as the crowd was filing in for dinner and Harry even bumped into a few people, but fortunately they didn't think anything of it. He ended up standing against the wall right behind where Malfoy was sitting at the Slytherin table.

It seemed like an eternity for Harry waiting there for something to happen. He couldn't move or make a sound because it would be a disaster if someone found him out. Then, all of a sudden, it happened.

A filibuster firework went off and exploded above the Gryffindor table. A couple of girls screamed as more fireworks exploded. Everyone at the Slytherin table was looking at what was going on, but Harry didn't feel that there was enough commotion to make his move yet. Until Peeves decided to take this opportunity to create some havoc. He started flying to the different tables knocking over bowls of food.

When he made his way to the Slytherin table and knocked a bowl of gravy into Pansy Parkinson, Harry made his move. He slipped his hand out from under the cloak and quickly poured the potion into Draco's glass. Then he slipped the forged note from Snape onto the table in front of Draco. He then quickly made his way over to the Gryffindor table and whispered in Hermione's ear that he was successful. She took that queue to leave along with Ron.

Harry stayed behind and watched Malfoy as the teacher's started to restore order to the Great Hall. He saw him take a big sip from his goblet. A few seconds later, Harry saw him find the note and begin to read. Now as long as Ginny did her job, they would have him.

Harry quickly made his way to the potions room. He opened the door, slipped in, and then closed it quickly. He kept the invisibility cloak on until he found Ron and Hermione ducking down behind a desk on the right side of the classroom.

"It's me." Harry whispered as he pulled off the cloak. "I saw him read the note; he should be here any minute."

"We should all go on different sides of the room." Hermione said.

"Good idea." Harry replied. "I'm going to hit him with a curse. If for some reason, I miss or it doesn't work, then you two do the same." They all agreed and dispersed to different sides of the room. Harry was on the left side of the door and kept on his invisibility cloak for an added advantage. After about two minutes of waiting the door crept open slowly and Malfoy came through. He turned around to close the door behind himself which gave Harry an opportunity.

"Impedimenta." Harry shouted and aimed the curse at Malfoy. It hit him square and froze him in his tracks. Ron and Hermione emerged quickly and the three of them approached the frozen Slytherin. Hermione yanked his wand out of his motionless hand and Ron grabbed him and turned him around.

"What do you think you're doing Potter?" Malfoy said as he came face to face with Harry. "Professor Snape will be down here any second and believe me you will pay for this."

"Don't be so sure." Harry started. "Now Malfoy, I just have a few questions for you and then you can go on your way."

Draco laughed. "You think I will answer any questions from a freak, a blood traitor and a mudblood."

"Yea, I think you will." Harry replied. "For instance, are you the secret keeper for Malfoy Manor?"

"Yes." Malfoy responded immediately. And in a split second his eyes filled with a fear unlike anything Harry had ever seen.

"Excellent." Harry replied. "Now where is Malfoy Manor."

"It's at 3366 Dark Heart Lane Wiltshire, England" Malfoy responded. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all had looks of extreme relief and joy on their faces.

Draco began screaming and Hermione quickly did a silencing charm on him.

"Now what do we do?" Ron asked.

"Hermione, do what you need to do." Harry said. She nodded and went over to Malfoy pointing her wand at his head. He was trying to scream but the silencing charm stopped him.

"Petrificus Totalus." Hermione said. Malfoy's body went stiff as a board and fell roughly to the ground. She then muttered a few more words to her self before crying "Obliviate" and sending a blue jet of light straight at Malfoy.

"Alright were done." Hermione said turning and looking at Harry and Ron.

"Good." Harry replied. "You two get out of here and after a minute I will revive him." They agreed and hurried out of the dungeon. Harry waited until they were a safe distance away and then threw the invisibility cloak over himself. Then he creaked the door open enough to get out and with one foot already out the door he pointed his wand and Malfoy and said, "Ennervate". He heard Draco lazily waking up as he ran down the corridor and up the stairs.

He checked behind his back a couple of times and after getting back to the corridor around the Great Hall, he was finally satisfied that it was clear to take off the invisibility cloak. So he ducked into an empty classroom took it off and then headed straight for the Gryffindor common room. When he got there he saw Ron and Hermione standing over by one of the windows with Ginny. He made his way up to them and was about to congratulate them all on their efforts when he saw what they were doing. Ginny was opening the window for Fawkes who had a letter in his mouth that had the name Harry Potter on it.


	28. A Giant Mission

Chapter 28

A Giant Mission

A giant note began tying in Harry's stomach as he approached his friends and took the letter out of the beak of Fawkes.

"He was standing at the window when I got up here." Ginny exclaimed.

Harry looked around the common room and noticed Seamus and Dean engaging in a game of exploding snap so he figured the sixth year boys dormitory would be a good place to have some privacy.

"Let's go up to our room." Harry said to the others. He held out his arm to Fawkes extending an invitation for him to join them, but he simply nodded his head to Harry and then vanished into thin air.

Harry and the others filed into the sixth year boy's dorm. Neville was sitting on his bed doing a bit of reading and seemed a little startled when he saw Ginny and Hermione emerge behind Harry.

"It's good you're here Neville." Harry started holding up the letter. "From Dumbledore." Neville sprang up quickly to join the rest of his housemates. Harry took a seat on the end of his bed and ripped open the letter while the rest of them gathered around him. Neville and Ginny took up seats on Harry's trunk which was at the end of his bed, while Hermione showed off her skills by conjuring a small wooden bench for her and Ron to sit on.

Harry glanced over the letter briefly to make sure that there wasn't anything in it that Dumbledore wanted him to keep to himself. Satisfied that he could reveal every detail to his friends he began to read out loud.

_Harry,_

_I should think that by now you are wondering where I am. And with good reason. As you can imagine, when I awoke in the Chamber of Secrets I was more than a bit confused. Using methods that I will reveal to you at a later day, I was able to get back into the castle and assess the situation. I must commend you and my brother for your plan of action. Hiding me in the chamber and having Aberforth impersonate me was brilliant._

_I'm sorry I haven't contacted you sooner, but it was apparent to me that I needed to assess the extent of the damages that I have sustained immediately. So, I sought out an old friend for help. It appears that I was poisoned and the dosage was quite enough to kill me. It has made me very weak and at this point it would be dangerous for me to return to Hogwarts as headmaster. If anyone were to discover my vulnerability, it could put Hogwarts in danger and as I'm sure you know there is a traitor among us. _

_It has also been brought to my attention that I have had a memory charm placed on me. Reversing memory charms is very tricky magic and in the state I am in now, any attempt to retrieve my memories would no doubt kill me. I want to caution you that the traitor, whoever they are, can do very complex magic as it is no small feat to successfully administer a memory charm on me._

_Trust that I am in good hands. My condition will improve and I will be back at Hogwarts soon. Also, I want you to know that you can put your faith in and trust Aberforth. Please relay the contents of this message to him. I will keep in contact._

_Sincerely_

_Albus Dumbledore_

No one said anything for a few moments while they digested the contents of the message.

"Well it's a good thing." Ron spoke up. "At least he is alive."

"Something's not right though." Hermione replied. "There must be something really wrong with him. Nothing would keep Dumbledore from protecting Hogwarts."

"You heard him Hermione." Harry stepped in. "He's weak from the poison that's all. He doesn't want to give the traitor a chance to see that he's vulnerable." Hermione shrugged in agreement but Harry could tell that she was still troubled.

"We need to take this as a positive." Harry added. "Dumbledore will get better soon; we just need to buy him some time. We have to make sure that until he's back, nobody finds out about Aberforth."

"I agree Harry." Hermione said grimly. "Which means this might not be the best time for a rescue mission to Malfoy Manor." Harry contemplated her thoughts for a minute.

"Or maybe it's the perfect time." Ron snapped in. "We go on the offensive and leave them in a state of disarray. If we break into their headquarters and rescue Hagrid, they'll need time to regroup. They'll need a new secret headquarters. Not to mention the fact that Vold-(Ron stopped for a minute and took a deep breath) Voldemort will be looking for answers from his Death Eaters."

"I agree." Harry asserted. "Plus, we don't know how much more time Hagrid has. They could kill him at any time. We need to strike now. If Ron's right, then hopefully if we are successful it will give Dumbledore the time he needs to get better." Harry looked at Neville who was obviously confused so Harry explained the situation to him.

"I think we need to go too." Neville agreed. "No one should have to endure torture from Death Eaters. I'll be with you Harry." Harry nodded and then looked in Hermione's direction to see if he could get an affirmation.

"Of course." Hermione replied.

"Ginny?" Harry asked.

"I'll be there." She replied.

"Good." Harry said. "We'll go tomorrow night at midnight." Now I'm going to go discuss this letter with Aberforth." With that Harry left the room and headed right for the headmasters office.

"Harry, come in come in." Aberforth said as Harry emerged in the doorway. "I was just about to have a spot of tea; can I interest you in a cup?"

"No thanks." Harry said sitting down across from him. "I got a delivery from Fawkes today." Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter from Dumbledore and passed it across the table. Aberforth read it quickly and then made it disappear with a quick flick of his wand.

"Wouldn't want it falling into the wrong hands." Aberforth assured Harry. "Now then this is certainly interesting news."

"Do you have any idea who this old friend is that he went to?" Harry asked.

"I have my suspicions." Aberforth chuckled to himself. "The important point is that he will need time to get better. We must keep our secret safe until that time. Things must stay as normal as possible around here. Go to class, participate in Quidditch, and keep the DA group going. Nothing out of the ordinary." Aberforth leaned over the table at this last statement and met Harry's eyes. Harry felt a strange ting go through his head but it quickly disappeared.

"There actually is one issue that I think we need to discuss Professor." Harry started. Dumbledore had insisted that Harry could trust Aberforth so he had no other choice than to do just that. He could certainly use Aberforth's help in rescuing Hagrid from Malfoy Manor.

"What is it Harry?" Aberforth said surveying Harry.

"I found out that the secret keeper to Malfoy Manor is Draco." Harry started. "And I got him to tell me where it is." It looked like Aberforth was going to say something immediately; he opened up his mouth wide but then thought better of it and gathered his thoughts for a second.

"That is a job for the Order Harry." Aberforth finally stated. "I'm not even going to ask what measures you went to secure that information but I'm sure that it was of great risk to us all. I don't want you involved any further in this. Let the Order handle it."

"But you read Dumbledore's letter." Harry explained. "There is a traitor in the Order. The second you announce this information to them, the Death Eaters will find out about it and will be ready for us."

"Harry you have to trust me that I will take care of this." Aberforth stated calmly. "Besides, your knowledge is not of much use to us. In order for us to be able to see Malfoy Manor, we would need to hear the location straight from Draco's mouth. Even if you told us where it is, it wouldn't do us any good." At that second Harry knew he had made a mistake. He should have had Malfoy write down the address so that anyone who saw it could enter. In his previous year, Dumbledore had written down the address to Grimmauld Place. Mad Eye Moody had shown the paper to Harry. He had explained to Harry that the information had to come from the Secret Keeper directly. As it stood now, the only people that would be able to enter Malfoy Manor would be himself, Ron and Hermione.

"Harry." Aberforth said loudly snapping Harry out of his deep thought. "I know who I can trust with this information and we'll figure out what to do as quickly as we can. There is nothing more to be done now. Why don't you go back to your common room and get some sleep."

Harry starred blankly at Aberforth and nodded before getting up and making his way back to Gryffindor tower in deep thought. How did Aberforth really know who he could trust? Harry's parents had thought that they could trust Wormtail and it ended up costing them their lives.

When he got back to the Gryffindor common room he saw his friends in the corner studying.

"How did it go?" Ron asked as Harry approached them.

"Not good. We should go to the Room of Requirements to talk." Harry added in a low tone. The other four Gryffindors shook their heads in agreement. Harry pulled out the Marauders Map and led them to the Room. Once inside, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville took a seat on one large L shaped couch that had appeared.

Harry stood in front of them for a second trying to choose his words carefully.

"What is it Harry?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

"No one heard the location for Malfoy Manor except me, you and Ron." Harry replied grimly. Hermione immediately understood the implications and her face fell considerably.

"What does that mean?" Ron asked.

"It means that we are the only ones that will be able to see it." Hermione explained. "We can tell Ginny and Neville and whomever else we want where Malfoy Manor is but they have to hear it from the secret keeper themselves or else they won't be able to see anything."

"Exactly." Harry added.

"Well that's it Harry." Hermione started. "We can't go through with this. I know we have gotten through some tight situations in the past, but the three of us can't just expect to walk into the Death Eaters headquarters alone and expect to get ourselves out alive let alone Hagrid."

"I know how you feel Hermione." Harry asked. "But now it is even more apparent that we go. Aberforth is going to relay this information to some members of the Order. He doesn't realize that the traitor could be anyone. If the traitor finds out then we may never get Hagrid back."

Hermione studied Harry for a long moment. She followed Harry into the Department of Mysteries last year and she had almost died. Harry could not blame her for not wanting to follow him again.

"Look, I understand if you two decide not to go." Harry explained. "But it's something that I have to do. Hagrid rescued me from the Dursleys and I would do anything to get him back." Ginny, who hadn't said a word the whole time, burst into tears and ran out of the room. Neville nodded to Harry and then went out of the room after her. Harry felt the urge to run after her as well, but this was too important a moment to abandon.

"I've been with you every other time." Ron chimed in. "And I'm not about to let you get all the credit yourself." Harry tried to smile at that last statement but the level of emotion that was showing in Hermione's eyes made the situation a bit too tense for humor. She was directing her stare at the floor, but Harry could see the tears running from her eyes and down her cheek.

Finally, she stood up from the couch while grabbing Ron by the hand and stood right in front of Harry. The area around her eyes was now starting to swell.

"If one of us is going then we all are." She finally said convincingly. Her voice cracked a little but Harry could tell that she was trying to fight through it. "But we need to take it more seriously this time. There is no one to rescue us, and there is no one to blame but ourselves. It's not like we're breaking into the Slytherin Common Room. We are walking straight into a house filled with Death Eaters."

"You're right." Harry interrupted. "That is why I think we should train all day tomorrow. Brush up on our skills. All three of us have Charms first tomorrow. So I say we each take a Puking Pastille or some Nosebleed Nougat and get out of class. Then we can meet here for some training." Ron and Hermione agreed and three of them wandered back to Gryffindor tower. Harry had hoped that Ginny would be in the common room when he got back, but she wasn't. When he got up to the boy's dormitory, Neville informed him that she ran all the way back to the common room and up the stairs to her room. He tried to follow her, but instead found out something that Harry and Ron had learned the previous year, boys were not allowed in the girl's dormitories.

Harry knew that he needed to get some sleep. He had a big day ahead of him. But the thoughts of Hagrid kept him tossing and turning. But thankfully his body finally gave in to sleep as the full moon poured its rays on his pillows.

The next morning Harry sprang out of bed as soon as he awoke in the hopes of catching Ginny in the common room before breakfast. Unfortunately she was not there and when he got to the Great Hall she was not at the Gryffindor table either. Although Ron and Hermione were already there.

"Have you two seen Ginny?" Harry asked as he sat down across from his two best friends.

"Sorry Harry." Hermione answered. "I asked a couple of the fifth year girls and they said that she was gone when they woke up this morning." Harry slouched into his chair a little and begrudgingly ate a piece a sausage even though he was no longer very hungry.

"So what'll it be Harry." Ron said pulling out a couple of the twins' scandalous snacks.

"I think I'll take the Nosebleed Nougat." Harry answered as he reached over and grabbed it out of his hand.

"As will I." Hermione added as she grabbed one of her own.

"Well I guess it's a morning of puking for me." Ron said smiling. Hermione rolled her eyes in disgust as it seemed that Ron was actually looking forward to causing a commotion.

And what a commotion he caused. Ron ate his Puking Pastille just seconds before Professor Flitwick called him up to the front of the class to help him demonstrate a spell. Ron ended up loosing his breakfast all over the poor professor's desk and on two Hufflepuff students on his way out the door. Hermione and Harry were much more subtle and conjured towels to cover there noses before any blood began to spill out. The professor was busy attending to Ron's mess and was only too happy to let them out of class without much question.

The three headed straight for the Room of Requirements where Harry thought about needing a room with ample space for dueling. When they entered, the room looked almost the same as it had the previous year when they held DA meetings in it. It was very long and wide with bookcases on the back wall. There was a large mat laid out to duel on, and there were cushions surrounding that mat that would prevent any hard falls.

The three of them practiced every charm, hex, and spell that they had ever learned. After a few hours, Harry wished in his head for some sandwiches and pumpkin juice and was obliged with enough to keep their energy high. After they had exhausted all of their knowledge, Hermione thought that they should work on their apparation skills again.

"Right." Harry agreed. "We have to get faster. When Dumbledore and Voldemort dueled last year, they were apparating out of the way of curses. It can be a really effective tool in a duel." Since Hermione was already the best at apparating, she took turns shooting stunners at Ron and Harry while they tried to apparate out of the way. Harry and Ron took stunners off various parts of their bodies before they were able to effectively get out of the way. After countless hours of practice, they were all popping in and out of thin air firing curses at one another. When Hermione finally caught Ron with a stunner to the shoulder and knocked him out, Harry figured it was as good a time as any to take a break.

"Ennervate." Hermione said and Ron's eyes popped open. They each collapsed into their own large leather chair that had appeared and began snacking on some more sandwiches to regain their strength. Harry thought to himself that it seemed like they had been there for days and realized that there was no clock in the room to tell them exactly how long they had been there. And as fast as that thought crossed his mind, Harry directed Ron and Hermione's attention to a large clock that appeared on the wall and read 11:00.

"Almost time." Ron said before sticking a nearly full sandwich into his mouth.

"Alright, here's the plan." Harry started. "We'll go through the secret passage that leads to Honeydukes. From there, we'll fly. Hermione, you should really use your own broom. I know Neville has one that you can borrow."

"I can fly." Hermione grumbled. "I just don't like it all that much. But don't worry I'll be fine."

"Good." Harry added. "Fred and George gave me directions to Malfoy Manor. It shouldn't be a very long flight."

"We should get going." Ron said. Harry covered himself with his invisibility cloak and followed behind Ron and Hermione as they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. Being prefects, it made getting around the castle at night a lot easier for Ron and Hermione. When they got inside, the common room was deserted except for one red head who was sitting in front of the fire.

"Come on Hermione; let's go get Neville's broom for you." Ron said leaving Harry alone to talk to Ginny. Harry sat down next to her and noticed that her face was a little red and swollen.

"Ginny, I'm sorry you can't come." Harry stated. "You know that I would want you there if it was possible. You're a brilliant witch."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Ginny asked. "Sit here and watch my brother, best friend, and boyfriend go walking straight into danger."

"I'm sorry." Harry said again. "There's nothing more I can say."

"Well I'm coming anyway." Ginny added as she stood up. Ron and Hermione appeared in the doorway as she made this statement.

"No you're not." Ron replied walking briskly up to his baby sister.

"Are you gonna stop me?" Ginny said harshly as she rose to her feet and pulled out her wand. "I may not be able to go in, but I could wait outside. If you're able to get Hagrid out then you may very well need my help." Harry, Hermione, and Ron starred at her intently as the clock began to strike twelve a clock. Harry glanced at the clock and then back to Ginny.

"Let's go."

Author's Note: I know that I haven't exactly been religious about putting out chapters so I wrote another chapter. Thanks for being so patient. Keep reviewing.


	29. Malfoy Manor

Chapter 29

Malfoy Manor

"Let's go." Harry said.

"I've got to get my broom." Ginny replied as she hurried up the stairs to the fifth year girl's dormitory.

"No Harry!" Ron said sternly as soon as he was sure Ginny was out of earshot. "She can't come. It's too dangerous especially since she won't even be able to see what is going on."

"I don't think we'll be able to stop her Ron." Harry replied calmly. "And besides, I think she's right. We never even contemplated how hard it is going to be to get a half giant out of Malfoy Manor and back to Hogwarts, especially if he is injured. It's not like the three of us will just be able to carry him."

"I should be able to take care of that." Hermione spoke up. "I think I'll be able to put a hover charm on him if he isn't able to get out under his own problem. But I think Harry is right Ron. It can't hurt to have Ginny along. She can serve as a lookout for us and can create a distraction for us if we need it." It looked as thought Ron was going to open his mouth and protest some more but just then Ginny appeared in the doorway.

"Ready." She said loudly. Ginny had pulled her long red hair in a ponytail and had put on tight fitting black robes. She had her broom in her right hand and her left hand on her hip. Harry couldn't help but stare for a second.

"Uh yea were about ready." Harry finally replied. "Ginny, once we're inside were going to need you to keep lookout. I'm going to give you the invisibility cloak. If you think we are in trouble or if you see us come out with Hagrid, do something to create some commotion away from us."

"No problem." Ginny answered confidently.

"Harry we have one more problem." Ron announced. "Once we get Hagrid outside, how are we going to get him back to Hogwarts? We can't just throw him over the back of one of our brooms." Harry's face fell a little as he contemplated this issue. It was something he hadn't considered. His immediate reaction was to look towards Hermione.

"We could ride the Thestrals again." Hermione said immediately.

"No, we can't go out to the forbidden forest now." Harry answered. "We can't risk being seen." For the next few minutes the discussed different options, but none of them proved to be valid. Ron had inquired about making a portkey but Hermione reasoned that a Portkey would be much too difficult to make. She reasoned that she could do it, but it would probably take her a close to a week to perfect it. It seemed like there would be no hope at all, but then an idea popped into Harry's head.

"Hermione, if I were to grab onto Hagrid and then apparate, would he come with me?"

Hermione's face tightened up as she contemplated this question.

"In theory yes that would work." She started. "But that's very complicated magic Harry. You've only just learned to apparate and you've never done it over a long distance yet… if you want my honest opinion, I think it's very unlikely that it would work."

"Well, it's the best plan we've got." Harry reasoned. "Besides, my whole life has been unlikely." Harry smirked at his three friends and led them to the door of the common room. When he got to the door he checked his pockets and made sure he had everything. He had his wand, the Marauders Map, his invisibility cloak, and even his Weasley's Wand Catcher which he had noticed in his trunk earlier in the night and decided to bring along.

"Where are you going at this time of night?" The fat lady sung as Harry swung open the door. They all chose to ignore her as Harry pulled out the map and checked the hallways.

"It looks like McGonagall is on patrol tonight." Harry started. "She's in the dungeons right now and Filch is in his office. It looks like we have a clear path." And fortunately he was right. They made it to the statue of the humpback witch and into the secret passageway with no trouble.

Ginny held on to Harry tightly as they pursued the passage quickly in almost a run. No one spoke until they through Honeydukes and onto the streets of Hogsmeade. Harry noticed a group of people coming up the street a little ways away so he motioned for his three friends to follow him into the alley on the side of Honeydukes.

"Alright, let's mount our brooms." Harry said as he pulled out the directions that Fred and George had given him to Malfoy Manor. "Let's get up to a high altitude quickly so that we are not seen. There is a forest just on the edge of Malfoy Manor that we will land in, follow me closely." The other three nodded and they all began elevating in the air and then one by one accelerated high up into the cold winter air.

Harry gripped his broom with his left hand while he held the directions in his right. It wasn't going to be a very long trip by broom, which Harry thought was a very good thing as he saw his breath evaporate into the darkness.

After being in the air for about fifteen minutes and following Fred and George's directions, Harry knew they were close and began to descend to the ground. He landed them in a grave yard that was just in front of a vast forest.

"Are we there Harry?" Ron asked looking around.

"According to Fred and George, there is a path that goes right through those trees and leads right to the house." Harry answered. "Follow me, wands at ready." They found the path almost immediately. They entered the forest and were all very careful not to make any loud noises. They were only walking for a few minutes when Malfoy Mansion finally became visible. Harry led them up a little closer until finally veering off the path and settling in behind a group of large trees.

"Here Ginny." Harry said pulling out his invisibility cloak. "Keep this over you until we are back." She agreed and quickly pulled the cloak over herself. 

"Don't worry." Ginny said with a smile in her voice. "I will make sure to create a suitable diversion."

"Good." Harry replied. "By the way Ginny, what is it that you see?"

"I just see a large clearing between all the trees." She replied.

"Just make sure you keep alert." Harry replied. "Alright let's go." Harry began creeping up through the forest to the edge with Hermione and Ron and his tail and finally stopped when the Mansion came into full view. It was very large and dark and resembled a castle more than a house. In the front was a large stone staircase that led upwards. At the top of the staircase were two large pillars with the front door in the middle. The door itself looked to be about fifty feet wide and a hundred feet high. It was engraved with serpents and swords. There were many windows but they were all either blacked out or had dark drapes in front of them because Harry couldn't see inside at all.

"Where are we going to try to enter Harry?" Hermione whispered.

"It doesn't look like they are guarding the front door." Harry replied in an equally low tone. "I guess they would have no reason to think that anyone could find them. But just to be safe, we should go through a window on the side." They nodded and Harry began to lead them up the large stone staircase. The house itself was very dark except for an eerie green light that was coming from a room that looked to be on the third floor.

When they got to the landing, Harry walked right passed the magnificent front door and led them around to the side of the mansion where there was a stretch of ground floor windows. The windows were indeed covered with dark purple drapes, but there was a small gap in the draperies where Harry could see through. Harry peered in and could see the back wall of the room which contained large bookcases filled with books.

"It looks like this is a library." Harry commented. "This will be a good place to enter."

"I can cut the glass." Hermione stepped forward. "She pulled out her wand and was about to trace it on the window when Harry stopped her."

"Don't worry about it Hermione." Harry smirked. "I have some experience with glass." Harry focused his energy at the glass and starred at it intently. He imagined it disappearing and held out his hand towards it. Then all of a sudden, it vanished.

"Amazing." Ron said.

"Come on let's go." Harry replied.

"Wait." Hermione interrupted. She took out her wand and muttering an incantation that Harry couldn't quite make out tapped herself, Ron, and Harry with her wand. Harry's hand had been on the window sill and saw it began to slowly change color and blend in with the window.

"A disillusionment charm." Hermione commented. Harry went to look at her after that comment and noticed that he could hardly see her except for her eyes. Hermione had cast the same charm that Moody had last year which made them all blend in with their surroundings. "It's the next best thing to an invisibility cloak."

"Brilliant Hermione." Harry replied. He climbed through the window with Ron and Hermione right behind and noticed that the room was indeed a library. There were a few candles burning on either side of the door that provided a little light for the room so the three Gryffindor's resisted the urge to light their wands. The room itself actually was a lot like the Hogwarts library. There were many rows of books along with tables and couches in which to sit and read. Harry elevated his wand and approached the door that led out to the hallway. He creaked it open and peered around the corner into the hallway. "It's clear."

"This place is huge Harry." Ron said before they went any further. "Where are we going to go?"

"I think our best bet is to look for stairs leading down." Harry replied. "I'm sure they have a dungeon here and I'd bet that they are holding him there." It seemed like as good an idea as any and Harry opened the door and decided to go to the right down the hallway. There were candles on the wall that lit up as they went deeper down the hall. Eventually, they came to the end of the hallway. There was a door right in front of them, two doors on their left and two doors on their right. All of the doors were closed except for the second door on their left which was creaked open just a bit. Harry thought that he could hear the echo of voices coming from there. He was about to suggest that they go in the door when he felt Ron tug on his robe.

"Harry look." Ron whispered. There was a picture hanging just to the right of the door of a wizard. The wizard in the picture looked to be a teenager and had shoulder length black hair and was zapping leaves as they fell off a large Oak tree. It appeared that the wizard was fairly preoccupied with himself and had not yet noticed them. Harry, Ron and Hermione all instinctively pressed up against the wall and blended in so that they would not be seen.

"We need to get into that room." Harry whispered into Ron's ear. He then motioned with his hand for the two to follow him. They slid along the wall and Harry was about to creak open the door when the voices that he had previously heard began to intensify. They shuffled back against the wall as the door burst open deliberately. Two men in black and dark green robes exited the door and turned left approaching the door at the end of the hall. Harry heard a quiet gasp come from behind him as they opened the door and began walking down stairs.

Harry realized quickly that the gasp came from Hermione. Last year at the Department of Mysteries, Hermione was almost killed by a curse from the same Death Eater who had just walked right in front of them. Harry was pretty sure that his name was Dolohov and he knew that he recognized the man with him. It was Macnair.

In his haste to follow them, Harry made a little too much noise and as he was approaching the door he realized that he had made his presence known to the wizard in the picture. The wizard looked like he was going to yell something out, but then locked eyes with Harry and studied him for a second. He then diverted his eyes from Harry and went back to his business of zapping leaves as they fell off the tree. Harry turned and looked at Ron who just shrugged and they continued on to the door. Harry wasn't sure why the wizard in the portrait let them pass but he was grateful.

Harry turned the knob and began descending a long spiraling staircase. There were torches every ten feet or so that were hanging on the wall to provide light. When they got to the bottom of the staircase there was a small narrow hallway that led to one metal door.

"Are you guys ready?" Harry asked. "I'm not sure what will be behind here but it probably would be best to have a curse in mind." The other two nodded an agknowledgement and Harry went to turn the knob of the door. But it was locked. Harry was sure that whoever was on the other side of the door had heard him.

"Alohomora!" Hermione yelled quickly and the door blasted open. The Death Eaters obviously hadn't heard them at the door because when it opened Harry saw their shocked faces as they stumbled to get out of chairs and pull out their wands.

"Expelliarmus!" Ron and Hermione both shouted behind him. Macnair was closest to him and both spells hit him directly. He flew back against the back concrete wall and was seemingly knocked unconscious as his wand flew about twenty feet away. In the next few seconds, a flurry of jets of red lights were flying at the trio. The three of them dove back through the door they had just come and around the corner narrowly avoiding the curses that were flying there way.

"It's Dolohov." Hermione whispered. Harry peered around the corner and noticed that Dolohov had turned over a large wooden table that had been in the center of the room. Harry noticed that there was a cell that ran the length of the room on the right side. It had iron bars and a distinct green glow to it. There was also another door that stood about fifty feet behind Dolohov.

"He's got a table in front of him for cover." Harry told his two friends as he noticed for the first time that the disillusionment charm had worn off. "But I have an idea. On my signal, you two fire curses around the corner at him."

"Alright." They both conceded

"What are you going to do Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I'm going to surprise him." Harry replied. "Now on three. One, two, three." Harry heard Hermione and Ron both shout curses as concentrated on apparating. He felt himself disappear and suddenly was standing right behind Dolohov who was now leaning around the edge of the table and firing curses in rapid succession.

"Stupefy." Harry directed as a jet of light flew out of his wand and it Dolohov square on his shoulder blades. He went down quickly and Harry could tell that he was out.

"Alright guys?" Harry called.

"Alright." Ron responded back. Hermione and Ron came cautiously through the door and approached Harry and the unconscious Death Eater. Hermione gave him a long stare before aiming her wand at him and shooting ropes out of it that quickly tied him up. Harry picked up Dolohov's wand and promptly snapped it in two.

"You can never be too careful." Harry reasoned as he turned and faced the vast cell that appeared before him.

"Do you think Hagrid's in there?" Ron asked as the three of them got as close to the cell as they could. There wasn't much light in the room except for a few candles that hung on the wall. The only other light source was the green glow that encompassed the steel bars of the cell. Harry starred through the gaps in the bars but could only see a few feet in front of him. The rest of the cell was draped in shadow.

"Any idea how to get in there?" Harry asked his two friends. Ron immediately turned towards Hermione.

"I'm not sure." She answered. "There is obviously some sort of spell protecting the bars. I've never encountered anything like it." There was a door to the cell, but it had no lock, just a handle. But the handle had the same green glow that the rest of the cell had so Harry was fairly certain that touching it would be a mistake.

"What if we all threw a Reducto charm at the same time?" Ron asked.

"It's worth a try." Harry asked as he gripped his wand. "Aim it at the door." The other two nodded and Harry signaled for them to fire.

"REDUCTO!" The three yelled. The curses all made simultaneous connection with door and sent it flying off its hinges. But their relief was short lived as the green glow still engulfed the doorway. Hermione picked up a piece of Dolohov's wand and threw it at the doorway. It made connection with the green glow and then they all had to duck as it was jettisoned right back at them.

"It's like a shield charm." Hermione reasoned. "There must be a way to get rid of it; I just need time to think."

"Unfortunately, we don't have time." Harry replied as he made a quick decision and apparated to the other side of the bars.

"Harry what are you doing?" Ron yelled.

"Someone is bound to come down here soon. We don't have a lot of time. We need to find out if Hagrid is here and get him out of here. You two keep working on eliminating this shield." Harry explained. "And if there is any trouble, run."

"We're not leaving you Harry." Hermione started. "So if you are really concerned for our safety than you better get back her quickly." Harry nodded and started maneuvering through the cell quickly. He lit up his wand which provided him enough light to see in front of him and a few feet on either side.

The cell was much bigger than he had anticipated. He walked about fifty feet into it before turning around and realizing that he couldn't even hear or see Hermione and Ron any more. The floor was a mixture of concrete and dirt and the whole cell was freezing cold. There was a long stone bench on the right side. The left side on the other hand contained nothing but endless wall. After walking carefully for another thirty or so feet Harry finally saw the back wall with a large shadow in front of it.

He quickly sprinted up to the shadow to find Hagrid shackled to the wall with the biggest chains that he had ever seen. His hands were tied together at the wrist and chained over his head, and his feet where spread apart each attached by a chain to the ground. Harry could see many marks on the chains that indicated to him that Hagrid had put up a hell of a fight. But now his head was lying limply down and Harry had to place his hand on Hagrid's chest to make sure he was still breathing.

"Hagrid." Harry yelled shaking him. "Hagrid wake up." But his old friend showed no signs of coming out of it.

"Ennervate!" Harry shouted desperately. The spell hit Hagrid in the chest and he stirred briefly, even raising his head for a moment before collapsing back into the same position. Harry thought quickly that he would need Hermione's help to get Hagrid out of here so he sprinted quickly back to the entrance.

"He's here!" Harry shouted as he stopped abruptly in front of the door that was still growing green. "He's chained up and unconscious. I wasn't able to wake him. I need your help Hermione."

"Alright Harry." Hermione answered. "But first I have an idea to get rid of this shield that I have to try. Maybe I can try ending the spell with one of the Death Eaters wands." But no sooner did she say this than did a jet of blue light strike her on the back. She collapsed to the ground. Macnair was awake and had tracked down his wand. Harry was about to fire a curse but realized that it probably couldn't break through the shield. Thankfully Ron had acted quickly and had grabbed Hermione and flung himself and her behind the table. Harry apparated back to the other side of the bars and saw Macnair aim his wand at the opposite wall and shoot a jet of green light at it.

"Stupefy." Harry shouted taking this opportunity to eliminate Macnair. He collapsed to the ground, but Harry realized that the damage was done. Macnair had activated some sort of alarm. Harry now saw a tiny statue of a serpent on the wall that was glowing brightly and red lights were flashing. Harry ran over to Ron and Hermione quickly to see if they were alright.

"Is she okay?" Harry asked.

"I'm alright." Hermione said gingerly rising back to her feet. "The spell just glanced off me."

"Alright, we need to act fast." Harry continued. "It seems that Macnair set off some sort of warning.

"We need to seal the doors." Hermione added.

"Right." Harry replied. Harry ran over to the door that they had entered through while Hermione and Ron ran over to the door on the other side of the room.

"Colloportus." Harry said. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hermione picking up Macnair's wand and approaching the cell.

"Finite Incantatem." Hermione instructed pointing the wand at the cell. The green glow grew blindingly bright before fading away completely.

"Brilliant." Harry said as he ran through the door with Ron and Hermione on his heels. When they got to him, surprisingly Ron was the first to act.

"Evanesco." He ordered, and the chains on Hagrid's feet disappeared. Ron aimed his wand at the chains on his hands next and vanished those also. Hagrid began to fall limply forward but thankfully, Hermione had cast her hover charm on him before he hit the ground.

"Let's go." Harry shouted. They flew out of the cell with Hagrid floating along and got back into the dungeon. The door they had entered through was being banged on and Harry could tell that it was close to being penetrated. So he opted for the other door which for now had no sound coming from it.

"Alohomora." He shouted and the door swung open. It contained a similar spiral staircase as the other door leading upwards. Harry began manipulating the steps with Ron right behind him. The floating body of Hagrid was behind him and Hermione was bringing up the rear. Harry could tell that Hermione was having a tough time maneuvering Hagrid's large body up a spiraling staircase.

"Alright there Hermione?" Harry called back when he reached the landing at the top of the stairs.

"Alright." She yelled back.

Harry opened the door and quickly shouted "Stupefy." However, there was no one there so the curse merely disappeared down the hallway. Harry noticed that they were in the same hallway that they had originally been in. He saw the familiar picture of the wizard that he had encountered earlier and saw that he was pointing grimly down the stairs and urging him to get out quickly. Harry turned around and saw Hagrid's huge body hovering through the doorway with Hermione right behind it.

"Get to the library!" Harry yelled urging Ron and Hermione to go ahead of him. They were running now and it was quite a site to see a half-giants body whipping through the hallway. Harry was now bringing up the rear and was continuously checking behind them to make sure that no one was coming behind them. Harry thought they were going to make it to the library undetected until he heard a loud familiar shrill voice echoing through the hallway.

"TRAITORS, FILTHY MOODBLOOD's, FREAKS." Squawked a portrait of Sirius' Mother that was hanging on the wall across from the library. The portrait was quite a bit smaller than the one that had hung at Grimmauld Place, yet her scream was just as vivid.

Ron ran full speed into the door which led to the library and smashed it right down he entered the room in front of Hermione and the body of Hagrid. Harry continued to pear down both ends of the hallway to make sure no one was coming while Hermione sent out a screaming curse that shattered all the windows the length of the library. Ron jumped through the window and Harry ran to join them to help get Hagrid's massive frame through when he heard a sickening voice come up behind him.

"So little Harry came to save his friend the giant freak." Oozed the voice of Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry did the first thing that came to his mind and reached into his pocket for the rock that Lupin warned he should always keep with him.

"Roccia Protecto!" He shouted as he tossed the rock in front of him. It transformed into a large wall, blocking Harry and his friends from the Death Eater.

"Hurry up, get out of here." Harry prodded Hermione. They had secured Hagrid outside and then Hermione jumped out the window.

"Harry let's go." She said turning back to him.

"I'll hold her off." Harry explained. "Go now." Hermione normally wouldn't have listened, but the ferocity in Harry's voice caused her to concede. Harry was contemplating what to do next when suddenly the rock shield in front of him was hit and collapsed into a million pieces onto the floor.

"I've been waiting for this since last year." She snarled as she twirled her wand between her fingers. Just then Macnair and Dolohov appeared in the doorway behind her looking equally as menacing. "I wish I could kill you myself right now, but my master's orders are to take you alive."

"No matter." Harry replied smugly. "I don't plan on letting you take me anywhere." He knew at this moment that he had to try anything to buy himself time until he could think of a way out of this.

"You're arrogant just like my dear cousin." She responded. "And you're going to meet the same end as him." Harry started to feel the anger rise inside him at the mention of Sirius. He felt a surge of energy rush through him and suddenly the candles above the door flew off the wall and struck Dolohov and Macnair. Both their robes caught on fire and this gave Harry the distraction he needed. He quickly pulled out his Weasley's Wand Catcher and aimed it at Bellatrix. He pushed the button and then turned to jump out the window. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that he wand had flown from her hand for a second but then had gone right back to her.

Harry knew that she would be right on his tail so he just kept running as fast as he could. He made it to the front door and began flying down the stone steps two at a time. He was so distracted by his desire to get away that he barely noticed that the left half of Malfoy Manor was on fire. With the flames rippling and the heat at his back, Harry made it to the ground. He started a mad dash for the woods but quickly stopped in his tracks when he saw Ginny pull of the invisibility cloak and aim a curse right for him. Before he knew it he felt a surge go through his body and the world went black.

Author's note: Before anyone says it, I know I am evil. I didn't want to end this chapter on such a big cliffy but the chapter was already long enough and if I gave an explanation for what just happened than the chapter would have gone on forever. Anyways I hope everyone isn't too mad. Don't worry the next chapter with all the explanations including the fate of Hagrid will be coming soon. I wonder if anyone can figure out why the wizard in the painting didn't alert the Death Eaters that Harry was there. Guesses? Also, I thought people might wonder why there weren't more Death Eaters present. My answer is that the Death Eaters are very much spread out all over Britain doing Voldemort's work. Thankfully, the only people at Malfoy Manor that night were Dolohov, Macnair, the elder Goyle, and Mrs. Malfoy. Bellatrix was elsewhere but was alerted and got there quickly. I know you didn't see Goyle or Mrs. Malfoy but you will find out later that they were there. Anyways I hope this answers some questions. Keep reading and reviewing. And just to give you a little hint about the next chapter, it will begin in the hospital wing of Hogwarts.


	30. Disappearances and Reappearances

Chapter 30

Disappearances and Reappearances

Harry blinked once. The whole room looked like a mess of pictures blurring together. He blinked again and the world started to come back into focus. He realized that he was lying in a bed and noticed someone sitting to the right of him. A couple of more furious blinks caused things to brighten up a bit. He could see that the person had red hair. It must be Ron he thought. The cobwebs started to leave his head and his brain started to slowly process the situation however he still couldn't see clearly. But it only took him another instant to realize it was because he didn't have his glasses on. Instinctually he turned to his left and found his glasses sitting on a table to the side of the bed. He put them on and turned back to find Ginny. She was sleeping in a chair next to his bed. Harry stared at her thinking about how beautiful she looked. But that smile was quickly wiped away as the memories of the previous night began flooding him.

"You!" Harry yelled angrily. He jumped up from his bed trying to ignore the pain that shot through his left shoulder. He was searching for his wand, but he was not wearing his robes so his search was futile.

Ginny had stirred awake and had a terrified look on her face as she tried to approach Harry.

"It's all right Harry." She started. "You're back at Hogwarts. You're in the hospital wing."

"No get away from me." Harry yelled so that hopefully someone could hear him. "You cursed me when I was running for the woods."

"Of course I didn't Harry." Ginny said as tears began to well up into her eyes. "How could you even think that?" She was now only about ten feet away from him. He kept backing up trying to keep his distance from her when he noticed his robes lying on a chair next to his bed. He quickly made a dash for them and in one motion pulled his wand out of his pocket and had it fixed on Ginny.

"Where are Ron and Hermione?" Harry asked excitedly. "Where's Hagrid. What happened to them? What have you done to them?" Ginny had her hands out pleadingly in front of her. Harry could see the fear in her eyes.

"Harry I didn't do anything." Ginny begged. "Please put your wand away. I'll get Ron and Hermione. We'll explain everything." But Harry just kept the wand focused on her. He didn't waver. He wasn't going to let her manipulate him.

"HARRY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Ron yelled as he came through the door accompanied by Hermione and Aberforth. Harry dropped his wand to his side and hurried to Ron's side.

"It was her." Harry explained. "She cursed me as I was trying to escape from Bellatrix." Ginny began sobbing uncontrollably and ran out of the hospital wing. Hermione took off after her.

"I think it would be best if you lay back down." Aberforth stated. Harry started to feel the urge to do just that and he retreated back to his bed. His head was spinning from all the excitement. "Ron here was just about to explain everything that happened to me. It seems that you are in need of an explanation too."

"The last thing I remember is running out of Malfoy Manor." Harry started. "I was trying to make it to the woods when all of a sudden Ginny popped out and sent a curse at me and then I was unconscious."

"Ginny didn't hit you with a curse." Ron broke in. "Bellatrix did. It hit you from behind. Ginny saw Bellatrix running behind you and hit her with a stunner." Harry reached behind and felt a wound on the back of his right shoulder. It was bandaged up. He quickly sprung up.

"I have to go find Ginny." Harry started rambling. "What a lousy git I am. She'll never forgive me. How could I have thought… she would never… I need to find her."

"Settle down." Aberforth said motioning for Harry to lie back again. Exhaustion began to settle over him and he did indeed lie back down. "It was a mistake indeed Harry, but one that could have been made by anyone. I am certain she will come to see that." Aberforth's eyes went to Ron and nodded to him to continue.

"Thankfully Bellatrix wasn't expecting it and it was powerful enough." Ron began. "She was out cold. When Hermione and I saw what happened, we quickly ran to Ginny and the three of us grabbed you and pulled you into the forest. But then we had a problem because now we had you and Hagrid and no idea how to get you both back." Aberforth's eyes shifted questioningly to Harry. Harry started to feel guilt well up inside him for deliberately disobeying Aberforth.

"I'm sorry." Harry blurted out. "I'm sorry that we went. But we had too."

"Let's save that discussion for another time shall we." Aberforth said as he glanced at Harry over his half-moon glasses.

"Anyways." Ron continued. "Hermione remembered your idea from before. She grabbed on to you and apparated a few feet to see if it would work, and it did. You went with her. So we decided that we would try to apparate away. But before we could try it, Ministry wizards started apparating in all over the place. It seems they monitor underage apparition very closely, especially when they saw that one of the people doing it was Harry Potter." A sense of relief started to pour over Harry.

"So what else happened?" Harry asked. "Did they catch any of the Death Eaters?"

"They got Bellatrix." Ron said. "But that's it. Dad's got her under special supervision. He's not going to leave her in the hands of the Dementors. And Malfoy Manor was in bad shape. Half the thing burned down."

"Yea, I remember seeing that out of the corner of my eye." Harry stated. "How did that happen?'

"Well let's just say that Ginny knows how to create a diversion." Ron replied. Harry thought to himself for a second and couldn't believe that he had not trusted Ginny even for a second.

"So what about Hagrid?" Harry asked. "Is he alright?"

"I'm afraid it is too early to tell Harry." Aberforth said. "We have the best mediwizards working on him, but he sustained quite a lot of damage at the hands of the Death Eaters."

"Is he in St. Mungo's?" Harry asked.

"No I thought he would be better off here." Aberforth stated. "He is in his hut with plenty of medical attention and plenty of security."

"Can I see him?" Harry asked.

"Not right now Harry." Aberforth replied. "You sustained a pretty nasty injury of your own. Now you need to rest." Harry nodded and laid his head back onto the pillow. Just then Madam Pomfrey appeared from around the corner and told Ron and Aberforth that they should go. She gave Harry three different potions to drink, one of which was a dreamless sleep potion and very quickly he was dead to the world.

When Harry woke again, he didn't know what day or time it was. Thankfully, Ron and Hermione where there next to his bed.

"How are you feeling Harry?" Hermione asked.

"All right. My shoulder is still a little sore but I do feel much better. How long have I been asleep?

"Quite a while." Hermione replied. "A full day at least."

"Any news on Hagrid?"

"Actually yes." Ron said as his face lit up a little. "He woke up. He doesn't know where he is, or even who he is but he woke up."

"He went through a lot." Hermione conceded. "Of course the giant blood in him made him a lot more resilient than other wizards would be. But they just don't know what the long term effects will be." It was good news that he was alive though Harry thought.

"What about Ginny?" Harry asked. "Is she okay?"

"It'll be alright mate." Ron responded. "Hermione and I have had some long talks with her."

"I think she understands." Hermione jumped in. "But you will need to talk to her." Harry nodded. He understood completely. Ginny had become very important to him and he would do anything to get her to realize that.

"So what time and day is it?" Harry asked.

"It's lunchtime on Tuesday." Ron answered. "We actually have to go soon to get to class."

"Maybe I can go too." Harry replied. Hermione got Madam Pomfrey and Harry asked her if he could leave. She checked him over and of course told him that he would have to stay a little longer.

"Rest for a while longer and perhaps you can go at dinner time." She said with a smile.

"We'll come back and check around dinner time then." Ron added as he and Hermione left the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey kept a close watch on Harry throughout the rest of the day and as dinnertime came she conceded that he could leave the hospital wing. And sure enough around that time, the door to the hospital wing opened. But it wasn't Ron and Hermione like he expected, it was Ginny.

"Hi." She said quietly as she approached Harry. Harry didn't know what else to do so he just threw his arms around her.

"I'm so sorry Ginny." He started as he pulled away a little. "I never should have thought… it's just that I have grown up not really ever having anyone I could trust. The Dursley's well they you know… and then I found out about Pettigrew betraying my parents and the traitor in the Order. I just never know what to expect." Ginny brought Harry back into an embrace.

"You never have to worry about those things with us Harry." Ginny replied sympathetically. "We love you. We would never betray you." Harry starred into her eyes and knew it was true. They sat there for another few minutes before breaking the embrace.

"Come on let's get out of here." Harry said as he grabbed his belongings and began to lead her by the hand out the door. "I've seen enough of the hospital wing for a whole lifetime."

"You must be starving by now." Ginny laughed.

"Yea, I might even be able to out eat Ron right now."

"That's not possible." She replied with a smile.

"Do we have time to drop my things off?" Harry asked not knowing exactly what time it was.

"Yea, dinner has only just started." She replied as they set off for the Gryffindor common room. On the way, Ginny explained that Ron had held a Quidditch practice a day earlier. She thought that it was probably his way of dealing with the fact that he and Hagrid where held up in the hospital.

"Hopping Hipogriff." Ginny said when they got to the portrait of the fat lady. "They changed the password." She explained. Harry nodded and was about to ask her why they changed the password when he walked through the common room door and found his two best friends snogging on the couch. They were obviously too caught up in each other to realize that the door had opened and someone had come in. Harry stifled a laugh and turned to Ginny whose face had a mixture of horror and amusement. Harry held a finger to his lips to encourage Ginny to keep quiet. Then he began to quietly sneak up on them.

"IS THIS ANY EXAMPLE FOR TWO PREFECTS TO SET?" Harry yelled when he was right behind them. Ron jumped about two feet in the air and ended up sprawled out on the floor while Hermione confidently straightened herself out.

"Uh Harry, we were just ah…" Ron started but Harry quickly cut him off.

"I can see what you were uh doing." Harry said with a big smile on his face. Ron's face was redder than Harry had every seen it which was saying something. Ginny began to laugh hysterically talking about how she couldn't wait to tell Fred and George. Upon hearing that, Ron started chasing Ginny all around the common room with his wand out. Eventually Ginny yelled to Harry that she'd see him down at dinner and retreated out the door with Ron quickly on her tail.

"So..." Harry said smirking at Hermione. "I see there has been some excitement while I was gone."

"Oh shut up Harry." She replied trying to hold back a laugh of her own. Eventually she broke down and they laughed their way down to dinner.

"You know, you guys could be like a normal couple and go to the Astronomy Tower or the Room or Requirements." Harry chimed in as they approached the Great Hall.

"Yes well… I'll keep that in mind thanks." Hermione replied. It was not often that Hermione Granger was left speechless and Harry thought that he would remember this moment for a long time.

When they got to the Gryffindor table, Ron and Ginny were sitting across the table from each other starring daggers at one another. Ron had a fresh pair of horns growing out of his head and Ginny's hair looked to be about 6 feet long and still growing.

"Settle your differences?" Harry asked.

"Honestly." Hermione huffed and with a few flicks of her wand she restored both Weasley's back to normal. "Ron, have a sense of humor. And Ginny, as a favor to me, don't tell Fred and George. They both agknowledged Hermione before looking at each other and coming to a silent truce.

"Now that that's all settled." Harry interrupted. "Anyone want to tell me what happened to the Slytherins?" Harry looked up and down the Slytherin table and noticed that there were about half the usual amount of students sitting there.

"That's right we didn't tell you." Hermione began. "It happened Monday morning. We came down to breakfast and noticed a lot of students missing. Apparently they just left in the middle of the night."

"And it's not just Slytherins." Ron jumped in. "Of course it's mostly Slytherins but there are some students from every house gone. Six from Ravenclaw, four from Hufflepuff and even two from Gryffindor."

"From Gryffindor?" Harry replied. "Who."

"A girl from my year. Emma Roseburrow." Ginny explained. "And some second year boy Jack Copper."

"Where did they all go?" Harry asked.

"No one knows." Hermione responded. "But it can't be for any good reason can it?"

"No. I suppose it can't" Harry remarked.

After dinner Harry, Ron, and Hermione took a walk down to Hagrid's hut to drop in on their old friend. Ginny had prefect duties to attend to so she couldn't join them. When they got to the hut, they saw a familiar face sitting outside on the steps. 

"Tonks." Harry yelled as they approached her. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello great to see you all." Tonks said as she and Hermione engaged in a quick hug. "I'm serving as security, to make sure no one unsavory can get to Hagrid. So I guess I should keep you lot out." They all had a quick chuckle at that.

"So how is he today?" Ron asked.

"Not much different." She replied. "Still has no memory, but his vital signs are improving. The mediwizards figure he won't have any lasting physical effects, but it's anyone's guess about the mental effects."

"Well can we go in?" Harry asked.

"Sure, go ahead." She replied. "It's just a couple of nurses and Dumbledore in there now." Harry led Hermione and Ron through the door and into the hut. Harry was a little apprehensive about seeing Aberforth. He knew eventually he was going to have to explain why he directly disobeyed him and he wasn't looking forward to doing it.

As they approached Hagrid's bed they saw Aberforth sitting in a chair with his head down next to Hagrid. It looked as though he had dozed off. Hagrid was also sleeping and emitting such loud snores that the whole hut seemed to shake every time he exhaled.

"Hasn't left his side." One of the mediwitches said pointing to Aberforth. Another of the mediwitches woke him and Hagrid both up explaining that it was time to take his medicine.

"What… where… what's going on." Hagrid bellowed as he woke up. 

"This happens every time he wakes up." The mediwitch whispered to Harry. They started explaining to Hagrid who he was and where he was and that he had been injured and needed to take his medicine. Eventually he calmed down and it wasn't until that point that Aberforth noticed that Harry, Ron and Hermione were there.

"Ah hello kids." Aberforth said. Although a quick wink told Harry that this might not be Aberforth but Albus.

"Professor Dumbledore." Harry tried to say aloud but it came out as a whisper.

"Yes Harry, hello." He replied. "Would you mind joining me outside?" Harry nodded and joined the headmaster leaving Ron and Hermione inside.

"I was going to go into the forest to inform Grawp of his brother's situation and I thought he might like to see you." Dumbledore said. "Plus it will give us a chance to catch up on a few things."

Harry agreed and together they set out through the Forbidden Forest.


	31. Where Have all the Students Gone

Chapter 31

Where Have All the Students Gone

Harry and Albus Dumbledore walked through the Forbidden Forest in silence for a few moments. There were many things that Harry wanted to talk to the esteemed headmaster about but he was waiting for him to make the first move.

"Let's stop here for a minute." Dumbledore said as took a seat on a large fallen tree. It seemed to Harry that he was a little out of breath.

"How are you feeling sir?" Harry asked.

"Oh, better Harry better." Dumbledore started. "Still a long way to go though I imagine." Dumbledore seemed to yawn a little and his gaze drifted toward the ground.

"Well it's nice to have you back all the same." Harry smirked.

"Unfortunately, I am not back Harry." Dumbledore replied raising his eyes to meet Harry's. "My magic is weak Harry. My body has gone through quite an ordeal over the past couple of months. I couldn't do the simplest thing like conjuring a chair to sit down on."

"I'm sure you just need your wand." Harry responded, pulling it from the inside pocket of his robes and thrusting towards the headmaster. "My wand was broken, so Aberforth gave me yours to use. But here have it back."

"Your wand was broken?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"Yea, I had a run in with Malfoy." Dumbledore seemed to smile a little as he pushed the wand back in Harry's direction.

"I'm afraid that no wand will improve me at this point." Dumbledore stated. "Besides, I believe that there was a reason that your wand was broken and you came in possession of mine. Keep it and use it well."

"Thank you sir." Harry said as he put the wand back into the inside pocket of his robe.

"Now on to this business with Hagrid."

"I'm sorry sir." Harry immediately jumped in. "I know you told me that I should listen and trust Aberforth, but I don't think he took the threat of the traitor seriously. I couldn't let Hagrid die. I had to…"

"I understand Harry." Dumbledore interrupted. "Hagrid is like a son to me, and I know he is a good friend to you too. I imagine I would have done the same thing as you. You see Harry; you must learn to trust people because we are going to need a lot of help to overcome Voldemort. But, you must also learn to trust your own judgments. I see that you are starting to do just that." Harry understood what Dumbledore meant. According to the prophecy, he was the one who would have to kill Voldemort so in the end he had to make his own decisions.

"Now, we should get to Grawp." Dumbledore added. "There's not going to be much of a forest left if we don't inform him that Hagrid is back."

"Wait sir." Harry said as Dumbledore stood up and began to walk again. "When you were in a coma, Aberforth found this vile of blood on you. Is it Voldemort's?"

"It is in a sense." Dumbledore replied. "It is the blood of Tom Riddle."

"Do you think it will work?" Harry asked. "If I put it on the spear will it be enough to kill him."

"I can't say for sure Harry. Voldemort has gone through many transformations since he was Tom Riddle." Dumbledore replied. "But I don't believe a man can change the blood that runs through his veins." Harry pulled the vile out of his pocket and studied it for a second. According to the legend, if Harry mixed this blood with his own and applied it to the spear, he may have a chance of killing a man who was virtually immortal.

"How did you get it?" Harry asked after a moment of thought.

"I'm afraid some of my more brilliant methods will have to remain a secret for now." Dumbledore smiled. "Let's just say that one hundred and fifty years on this Earth has taught me a thing or two." Harry smiled back and together the made their way through the forest once again. When they finally found Grawp, he had a tree in each of his hands and was repeatedly smashing them on the ground as if the earth were a set of drums. Fortunately, Dumbledore was able to calm him down and assured him that he would bring Hagrid to see him as soon as possible.

When they got back to Hagrid's hut, Hermione and Ron were sitting outside waiting for Harry and Dumbledore to return.

"I will keep in contact with you Harry." Dumbledore said as he opened the door to the hut. "Remember what I said. I stand by the fact that you can trust my brother. But trust your own instincts as well." Harry bid the headmaster farewell and joined Ron and Hermione. They made their way back to Gryffindor Tower as Harry explained the conversation that he had with Dumbledore.

"You should have asked him about the missing students." Ron spoke up.

"You're right." Harry replied. He couldn't believe that he had failed to discuss that with Dumbledore. "But I have a pretty good idea what that's about."

"What?" Ron asked.

"I think Voldemort wants to attack the school." Harry replied. Hermione stared at him for a long moment and then nodded in agreement.

"It makes sense." She added. "All the students that are missing are probably children whose parents are either Death Eaters or associated with Death Eaters. If there was a plan to attack the school, then they wouldn't want there children there when it happened."

Later that night, Harry sought out Professor Lupin and explained this theory to him. Lupin was one adult that Harry knew in his heart that he could trust.

"The staff has been discussing this too Harry." Lupin answered. "We have come to a similar conclusion. So we are going to take some necessary precautions. Dumbledore will make a speech tomorrow informing all students that an attack is possible and that they may take a leave of absence from school if they feel it is necessary. We are going to have the DA meet every night for those students that choose to stay."

"That's probably a good idea." Harry responded and quickly thought of something else. "ON the topic of protecting the castle, there is a secret passage into the castle through the humpback witch. Do you think we should seal that up? We wouldn't want any rats getting in."

"Ah yes." Lupin answered. "I forgot about that. I will personally make sure that it is sealed up."

"Good." Harry answered as he stood up to leave. "Well then I will be getting back."

"Wait." Lupin motioned for Harry to sit back down. "There is one more thing I need to ask of you."

"Of course." Harry replied. "What is it?"

"If there ever was an attack on the school…" Lupin started. "The house elves could be invaluable to us. They have very powerful magic and they are fiercely loyal. We were wondering if you could talk to Dobby about training them up so that if an attack came, they could respond quickly."

"That's a very good idea." Harry replied. "Yes I'll talk to him about it."

"Good." Lupin answered. "I'm not going to be around for the next couple of days so Professor Snape and the rest of the staff will be handling the DA lessons. Try and help them out as much as possible."

"I'm not sure how much input _Snape_ will let me have." Harry started. "But I'll do my best."

"I'm sure you will." Lupin replied with a chuckle.

Harry said a quick good-bye and good luck and then went down to the kitchens to seek out Dobby. As he made his way down, Harry thought about what it must be like for Professor Lupin to have to transform into a Werewolf. Even with the Wolfsbane potion, it couldn't be a very pleasant experience. But hopefully someday they would come up with a cure.

"Excuse me Mr. Potter. It is after curfew, what are you doing out of bounds." A familiar voice said as Harry was about to make his way through the door to the right of the main staircase which led to the Hogwarts kitchen.

"I'm really sorry." Harry replied sarcastically as Ginny made her way towards him. It was obviously her night to be on patrol.

"Just don't let it happen again." Ginny smiled. She looked behind her to make sure that the prefect she was on duty with wasn't looking and then she slid up to Harry to give him a quick kiss on the lips. Harry threw his arms around her and deepened the kiss which caused Ginny too push him away. "Harry, not in the middle of the hallway."

"Sorry." He said laughing.

"So where were you going?" She asked.

"Down to see Dobby." He replied. "And I should really get going. I'll explain later." He gave her another quick kiss and then made his way down the corridor. Eventually he came to the portrait of the bowl of fruit. He tickled the pear and was able to enter through the newly materialized door knob.

"Mr. Harry Potter sir." A house elf that Harry had never seen before said. "How can we be of service?"

"Oh hello." Harry replied. "I was wondering if I could speak to Dobby."

"Of course sir." The elf replied. "Fitzy is getting Dobby for you right away." And with a snap of his figures and a light pop, he was gone. It seemed like only a few seconds before Fitzy popped back with Dobby right behind him.

"Harry Potter it is good seeing you." Dobby said. "Can Dobby help Harry Potter in some way? Is he needing something to eat?"

"No Dobby, nothing like that." Harry replied. "Is there somewhere we could talk in private?"

"Of course Harry Potter sir. Follow me." Dobby led Harry to a maintenance closet. It had a small bed and a few desks in it."

"The thing is Dobby, certain information that we have received suggests that there may be an attack on Hogwarts soon." Harry said. Dobby was paying fiercely close attention. "And I wanted to know if we can count on you and the other house elves to help us protect the castle if something is to happen." Dobby's face lit up as if Harry had just given him the thing that he must coveted in the world.

"We is being honored to serve Harry Potter and Hogwarts in any way you is needing." He finally replied.

"Excellent." Harry replied. "I want you to be their leader Dobby. Train them up. Make sure they all know what to do in case there is an attack."

"You can count on Dobby sir." He squeaked. "He is not letting Harry Potter down." Harry thanked Dobby and then arranged to meet up with him in a couple of days to discuss the progress he was making. It would be very beneficial to have the house elves on their side. Harry had seen what Dobby could do and if the rest of them had similar magical abilities than they could really make a difference.

The next day at breakfast, Aberforth got up to make the announcement that Harry was expecting.

"Before we start breakfast, I have a few things to say." Aberforth started. "As you know, He who must not be named has returned to power. It has come to my attention that he may have targeted this school as a potential objective. While I am very confident in the precautions that we have taken to keep the school safe, I feel that I must convey to you the seriousness of the situation. Any student who feels he or she needs to leave may do so without penalty." Discussion immediately broke out all around the Great Hall.

"He's going to attack the school!" Lavender Brown shouted. There were fearful comments going around everywhere. Aberforth had his hands raised trying to control the crowd, but it seemed futile. So Harry did the only thing he could think of. He went to the staff table and shot gold sparks out of his wand. When it seemed that he had the crowd's attention, he addressed them.

"I know you're all frightened. You have every reason to be. And if you feel like you have to leave, then I understand. But Voldemort and his Death Eaters are out there again and until they're gone, no one is going to be safe no matter where they are. I say we stay and train and if they come, we stand up to them. The castle is well protected and believe me, if they try to invade it, they'll find it is not very easy. I want to stress to you all to remember what the sorting hat said. If we all work together, we can win the war. That includes all four houses." The crowd was silent even after Harry's impromptu speech.

"Thank you Mr. Potter." Aberforth stated and started to address the now attentive crowd again. "I must concur with Mr. Potter's statement. It would be foolish to not have any fear, but I believe together we can rise above our fears. So for all students who stay, there will be DA meetings led by the entire staff every night after dinner. The end of term is now two weeks away and I have decided to postpone the end of term examines. And as a special treat, the Yule bawl will go on as planned. It will be on the night of December 23rd. I have made arrangements for the Weird Sisters to provide the nights entertainment. Now on to breakfast."

Slowly the crowd started to talk again. The conversations were still about the fear of Voldemort, but at least it seemed like the panic had died down.

"Great speech mate." Ron said when Harry returned to the table.

"Thanks." Harry replied. "Hopefully it made a difference."

"Oh I think it did." Hermione said as her eyes shifted to someone approaching the Gryffindor table. Harry turned around to see a familiar Slytherin coming towards him.

"Potter." Blaise Zabini said with a nod of his head.

"Zabini." Harry replied.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm ready to protect the school if I'm needed."

"Everyone's needed." Harry replied. "I don't care what house you or anyone else is in."

"There are some Slytherin's that don't support you know who." Zabini continued. "My uncle was murdered by his followers a number of years ago."

"I'll see you at training then." Harry replied. Zabini nodded and then turned around to head back to the Slytherin table. Earlier in the year, Zabini had been Malfoy's second in a duel against Harry. Harry had been very surprised at how fair and proper Zabini had acted. It sure seemed like he was different than other Slytherins he had known.

"Hopefully there are more Slytherins like him." Harry commented to the others.

"Personally, I wouldn't care if the whole bloody lot of them left." Ron sniggered.

"Ron!" Hermione squawked. "Be reasonable. Harry's right. We will need all the help we can get."

"Maybe." Ron reasoned. "But I don't fancy being in a war and having one eye on the enemy and the other on some Slytherin." Ron's point was valid Harry thought. But he was taking Dumbledore's advice and trusting his instincts, and his instincts told him that the remaining Slytherins could be an asset.

"Look, it's Errol." Ginny commented snapping Harry out of thought. The old decrepit owl dropped a letter in Ron's lap and then promptly smashed right into the side wall of the Great Hall."

"Don't know how that bloody bird stays alive." Ron remarked as he unfolded the letter and began to read. "It's from Mum. She says that she wants us all back at headquarters over holiday. And Hermione, she said she going to ask your parents to join us as well."

"That's great." Hermione exclaimed. "Of course I love all the time I spend with you guys over break but I do really miss my parents sometimes. Plus, I'm sure they will want to get to know you guys."

"Sounds great." Harry replied. "But I just don't know about leaving the school. Wouldn't that be a great time for Voldemort to try and attack?"

"Actually no." Hermione stated. "Death Eaters are all about causing pain and death. They would want to attack at a time when the most students are here."

"I guess you're right." Harry retorted. "Plus being at headquarters, we would know if there was an attack straight away. We could get there quickly if we were needed."

"Well on a lighter note." Ginny started. "Anyone have a date to the ball yet." She flashed her eyes at Harry and gave him a mischievous smile.

"Actually, me and Ron were thinking about going with the Patil twins again. You know since it worked out so well last time."

Hermione laughed. "Well just to let you boys know, Ginny and I will not remain dateless very long." After they comment the girls had a particularly smug look on their faces and they promptly picked up their books and left Harry and Ron in their wake.

"What in the bloody hell was that all about?" Ron asked. "I swear Harry I will never figure them out. What do they want, some grand gesture? I just figured it was a given that Hermione would go with me."

"I don't know Ron…" Harry began. "You better watch out. Remember Hermione's last date was an international Quidditch star. You have a lot to live up to." Harry got up and left Ron at the table thoroughly frozen with the most confused look on his face that Harry had ever seen.

Author's Note: Thanks for the great reviews everyone. I appreciate them. I know the last couple of chapters were a little bit boring. But I needed to set some things up or else I would just have action sequences that go nowhere. Don't worry though; I think everyone will like the next chapter. It will be long and will feature the Ball among other things. I also would like to say that the idea of the house elf army came from another story that I read. I would like to give the author credit, but I cannot remember where I read it. So if anyone knows the story that I am talking about please let me know so that I can give the proper credit. Thanks again, keep reviewing.


	32. Dueling towards the End of term

Author's Note: Wow, it has been a long time. So here we go with the explanation. As you may have seen from a couple of my earlier notes, I got pneumonia. It was not a fun experience and it took me a while to recover. Then when I finally did recover, it was very hard for me to get back into the story. I had forgotten where I was going with some parts of it. I tried a couple of times to right the next chapter and it just wouldn't come out. It was very frustrating. I felt bad because I was getting emails from people who wanted to see how the story concluded. I also figured that it would be pointless to finish the story now that book 6 was out. But I kept getting emails from people who wanted to see me finish the story. So I sat down and plugged through it. I remembered some of my old ideas and thought of a few new ones. I'm not even sure if too many people will read this because it has been so long, but I figured I owed it to myself and to anyone who wanted to read it to finish. I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 32

Dueling Towards the End of Term

The last two weeks of the term flew by quickly for Harry. The teachers had let up on homework especially since the end of term exams had been postponed. Ron saw this as the perfect opportunity to get some extra quidditch practice in. So he booked the pitch for a few early morning training sessions before class. On there way down to training one morning Harry causally asked Ginny if she would go to the ball with him.

"Hmmm." Ginny said starring at Harry thoughtfully. "Well Ron has arranged a scrimmage at the end of practice today. If you get the snitch before me, then you have a date."

"It's a done deal then." Harry said smiling mischieveously. "Because no one gets the snitch from me. Unless you have a pair of dementors hiding under your robes."

But Harry's cockiness would be short lived. Ginny definitely had talent as a seeker. She was giving him a real run for his money. She was fast and could stop almost as fast as Harry even though he had a far superior broom. Neither of them could see the snitch but they were having a time trying to get position on one another. Then all of a sudden Ginny dove towards the ground. Harry tore after her, keeping one eye on her back and searching for the snitch with the other and when she suddenly pulled out of her dive, Harry narrowly missed smashing into the dive.

"Come on Potter." Ginny yelled as she circled above him. "Don't make me find another date." She was laughing, but the joke was on her. As Harry looked up at her, he saw the snitch circling around her feet. She had no idea and Harry came towards her very slowly as to not draw attention.

"Don't worry." Harry replied. "You'll be coming with me." He said as he made a sharp move and grabbed the snitch which had settled right by her left sneaker. Harry saw an internal struggle break out inside Ginny. She hated to lose, but the scowl that initially graced her lips quickly broke into a smile.

"You know I let you catch it." Ginny huffed as they made their way back to the castle. Harry just smiled and threw his arm around her.

Quidditch was not the only thing that occupied the students that week. At night after dinner, the teachers would vanish all the furniture in the Great Hall and the entire school would participate in a DA training session. It seemed that the whole school looked forward to the meetings and Harry noticed that everyone was making a lot of progress.

"I have something special planned for tonight." Professor Lupin said after dinner on the last day of term. Professors Snape conjured a large soft mat in the middle of the room as Lupin continued his speech. "Since we have been having intense training sessions for the last couple of weeks, I thought that tonight we would have some fun. We are going to have some dueling exhibitions." A general murmur of excitement radiated through the Great Hall.

"The first contest will be between myself and Professor Snape." Lupin continued. "Now pay good attention and you may be able to pick up a thing or two." Snape glided towards the center of the map where Professor Lupin was waiting for him. They bowed to each other and then took about ten paces backwards before facing each other again. It seemed that each of them where waiting for the other to make the first move.

"Expelliarmus." Snape shouted. A jet of light shot at Lupin and a furious duel began. Lupin dodged the curse and threw one of his own that hit Snape in the right leg. It seemed that his leg was temporarily paralyzed as he began to hop on his left foot. Lupin took this opportunity to try and strike again. He sent another curse Snape's way. But Snape did a dive roll and hit Lupin in the chest with a jet of red light in the process. Lupin went flying across the mat about twenty feet and landed with a thud apparently unconscious. Snape got up still without the use of his right leg and quickly took the opportunity to counter Lupin's spell. Then with the use of both of his legs back, he approached Lupin casually and sent a disarming spell at him.

"Protego." Lupin shouted as he sprang to his feet. He was obviously playing possum. Snape's spell bounced off the shield that Lupin had erected and flew right back at him. The potions master had to dive out of the way to avoid getting hit. Here, Lupin took advantage. He shot three spells at Snape in succession. Snape got a shield up in time to nullify the first two, but the impact of those spells had vanished the shield and the third hit him directly in the chest. Snape stumbled backwards and landed on his back but in the same motion had fired a curse at Lupin that didn't hit but bought him some time. Lupin had to move quickly to avoid the spell and the next second both men were back on their feet starring each other down, wands at ready. This time Lupin was the first to act. He shot water out of his wand at Snape that quickly turned to ice as it surrounded Snape. Then the ice started to rise and form a wall around Snape. Lupin approached cautiously as the ice had completely overtaken Snape. It looked to the crowd as the Lupin had won. Until fire ripped through the ice, and a jet of blue light came from the flames and his Lupin in the leg. It caused Lupin to trip and he went flying into the mat face first. Professor Snape then emerged behind the flames and sent ropes from his wand that hog tied Lupin. Lupin quickly vanished the ropes, but Snape had already fired another curse that hit Lupin in the chest causing his wand to go flying in the air. Snape threw his hand up and the wand sailed gracefully into it. There were a few cheers for Snape's victory, but not many. He took Lupin's wand and handed it back to him and then they both bowed to each other.

"Well done Professor Snape." Lupin said aloud to the crowd. "The most important parts of dueling are to never underestimate your opponent and to stay aggressive. Remember that." Harry was disappointed that Lupin lost, especially to Snape but he reasoned that Snape would have had a lot more practice over the years than Lupin would have.

"Now, for the rest of our time, I thought we'd take volunteers. If anyone would like to duel come forward." As if by instinct, Harry immedialty thrust himself onto the mat. Everyone knew that Harry was the best in Defense class so initially no one stepped forward. "Will no one take on Mr. Potter?" Lupin asked the crowd.

"I will." Neville squeaked as he made his way on to the mat opposite Harry. The two Gryffindors grinned at each other and then bowed before starting the duel. It really wasn't much of a duel. Neville acted first trying to disarm Harry. Harry got out of the way and then sent a similar disarming spell at Neville. Neville was able to get a shield up at the last second to deflect the curse, but Harry had shot an immobilizing spell that was too much for the shield and Neville went down stiff as a board.

Lupin asked Harry if he wanted to stay on and take challengers and Harry quickly agreed. Over the next hour, people lined up to get there chance at Harry. He made quick work of Seamus and Dean. Blaize Zabini had been somewhat of a challenge, but Harry had never been in danger of losing. He took on two Ravenclaws that he didn't know and Hannah Abbot from Hufflepuff beating each of them soundly. Ginny took her shot and was able to give Harry a pair of her signature horns on his head before he hit her with a well timed shocking curse in the hand that caused her wand to go flying. He smiled as he caught the wand in mid air and returned it to her.

"Very well done Harry." Lupin exclaimed. Nearly everyone in the Great Hall was clapping. "I expect that will be enough for tonight. We will resume our training sessions after the holiday break. Now would the prefects please escort the students back to their dormitories." The great hall was buzzing as they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower. People kept coming up to Harry and congratulating him on a great job.

"Thank you." Harry said for about the tenth time as he caught up with Ron and Hermione. Ginny was busy leading the younger students back to Gryffindor Tower.

"That was really good Harry." Hermione stated. "I don't even know if there is a teacher here that could beat you."

"I don't know if that's true." Harry replied. "But I was hoping that you two would give me a go."

"Oh I wanted to." Ron responded puffing his chest out. "I was just waiting till the end. You know save the best for last, but then professor Lupin ended it so quickly that I never got the chance."

"Best for last huh." Hermione smiled slugging Ron in the arm. "Well I've never really liked dueling personally."

"Plus she hates getting beat at anything." Ron added slyly.

"Rubbish." She replied. "I wouldn't mind losing to Harry. But I am fairly confident that Harry would beat me and if I were to duel I want to face someone that I know I could beat. Like you."

Ron's face flushed and it looked like he was about to blurt something out, but instead gathered himself for a minute.

"Anytime." He ended up saying. They smiled at each other and Harry took that opportunity to jump in.

"I'm sure we'll get another opportunity." Harry said. "I think I'll suggest a tournament to Professor Lupin. That would be fun."

"Oh yes great fun." Hermione added. "So when are we leaving for Grimmauld Place?"

"Were supposed to report to Dumbledore's office at 9:00 tonight." Harry replied. "They're going to briefly hook up Grimmauld Place to the Floo Network for us."

"That only leaves us an hour." Hermione replied. "We should get our things together."

Harry grabbed Hedwig packed a few light things and headed down to the common room with Ron to meet up with the girls. They would be coming back in a few days for the ball so he didn't feel the need to pack too much.

"Everyone ready?" Ginny asked as she and Hermione led the way through the common room door.

When they got to Dumbledore's office, Hermione said the password which Harry couldn't hear and the familiar spiral staircase began to rise. Harry took the lead and when he got to the door he heard voices being raised. He quickly penetrated the office to find out what was going on.

"It's a bad idea!" Snape yelled. "Keep the students away from Hogwarts." Aberforth was sitting behind his desk and looked like he was about to respond to Snape when he noticed Harry and the others emerge.

"I think that will be enough for now Severus." Abeforth said and shifted his eyes towards Harry. Upon seeing the students, Snape turned and quickly exited the office.

"Hello kids." Aberforth proclaimed.

"What was that all about?" Harry asked sternly.

"Oh nothing to worry about. The floo network is set up now so why don't you three go while I have a quick word with Harry." Harry nodded to his friends and one by one they shouted out Grimmauld Place and were vacuumed up through the fireplace.

"So, what was that all about?" Harry asked again now that they were alone.

"Severus and some of the other teachers seem to think that it is irresponsible to hold the ball this year." Aberforth started.

"Well maybe they have a point." Harry added. "It does seem that it is likely that the Death Eaters are going to try to attack Hogwarts at some point. And since all the students disappeared, that day could be coming soon."

Aberforth seemed to gather himself for a second. "I don't think anyone gives enough credit to the protections that are in place around Hogwarts. Trust me Harry; no one will be able to enter the school without me or the other teachers knowing it."

"But if there was an attack…" Harry began.

"If there is an attack, we will have all the teachers and a good amount of very talented students there to take care of it." Aberforth interrupted. "Now I don't want you to worry about a thing. Have a good time."

Harry nodded and sensing that the conversation was over, he went over to the fireplace and flooed over to Grimmauld Place. Hermione, Ron and Ginny were all waiting for him when he came tumbling out.

"So what was that all about?" Hermione asked as Harry straightened himself up and took a seat.

"It seems that some of the teachers think that it's a bad idea to hold the ball this year. Harry explained. "They think there could be an attack."

"Well it's not as though that's unexpected." Hermione replied.

"Well Aberforth said not to worry. He said that Hogwarts is more protected than most people think."

"It is true." Hermione began. "I read in Hogwarts a History that the school has never been completely taken over by any outside forces."

"But that doesn't mean that it's impossible for an outside force to come in and do some damage." Ron added.

"Right." Harry agreed. "So we have to be extremely alert."

"I thought I heard voices in here." Mrs. Weasley said as she swept through the room and started pulling each of the kids into back breaking hugs. "Arthur they're here."

"Hello kids." Mr. Weasley said as he entered the room and quickly gave a hug to Ginny and a firm handshake to Ron before turning on Harry and Hermione and offering a hello. "I can't stay long. As you can imagine, things at the Ministry are hectic."

"We never see him anymore." Mrs. Weasley said as she began tiding up the room even though it didn't need it. "Between his duties at the Ministry and the Order he is stretching himself to thin." Harry could tell that she was talking more to herself than to anyone in particular.

"Now Molly." Mr. Weasley started and stopped quickly obviously not wanting to get into an argument. "Uh Hermione, your parents will be arriving tomorrow. They have agreed to stay until your next term starts."

"Brilliant." Hermione responded.

"I'll have a ministry car escort them tomorrow." He stated. "Now I have to be getting on." He briefly went over to his wife and kissed her on the cheek while whispering something is his ear and then was gone with a large crack.

"Are you okay mum?' Ginny asked as Mrs. Weasley seemed to gather herself.

"Of course dear, just a lot of stress on everyone these days." She replied. "Now I expect you're all hungry. Go get cleaned up, dinner is almost ready."

Harry could tell that when Mrs. Weasley was stressed she relieved it by cooking because she made a truly magnificent meal. When they were done, the kids went up to their respective rooms and unpacked.

"So did you ask Hermione to the ball properly?" Harry asked Ron once they were alone.

"Yea. But it wasn't easy." Ron replied. "I went up to her and told her that I assumed we were going together. She didn't appreciate that so I had to er make more of an effort."

"So what did you do?" Harry asked.

"Oh you know…" Ron said as he began to get really red in the face. Harry started to laugh and was immediately pelted with Ron's pillow. At that moment Hermione and Ginny walked in.

"What's so funny?" Hermione asked.

"Well Ron was just about to tell me about how he asked you to the ball." Harry replied.

"Oh well it was actually very sweet. He…"

"NO!" Ron cried. Interrupting Hermione before she had the chance. He ran over to her and threw his hand over her mouth. Harry and Ginny were now laughing hysterically.

"Don't worry." Ginny whispered into Harry's ear. "I'll find out from Hermione and let you know.

Ron on the other hand wasn't laughing as he chased after Hermione who had walked out of the room muttering something about Ron be embarrassed of their relationship.

By the next morning, Ron and Hermione had made up as they normally did. No sooner did Mrs. Weasley sit the whole lot of them down for breakfast than did Hermione's parents arrive. Hermione's mother couldn't stop talking about how number twelve Grimmauld Place just appeared out of nowhere right before her eyes.

"Then, they told me to read this little piece of paper and the house just magically appeared." Mrs. Granger explained. Hermione reintroduced Harry, Ron and Ginny to her parents and then proclaimed that she was going to take them on a tour of the house and show them to their room.

"Hermione's mom sure seemed excited to be here." Harry noted as Hermione left the kitchen with the Grangers at her heel.

"It must be hard though…" Ron started. "To see that your daughter is part of a world that you know nothing about. If they only knew…" Ron stopped suddenly and seemed to drift off into his own thoughts. But Harry knew exactly what he was thinking. The Grangers had no idea what kind of danger Hermione was in simply for knowing Harry. It was something that Harry struggled with constantly. Of course it wasn't his fault, and the war was going on well before he was born, but Harry still felt a certain responsibility for those closest to him.

Later that night, they were all sitting in the front room in front of the fire. Hermione and Ginny were were showing off there dress robes to Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Granger and talking excitedly about the upcoming ball at Hogwarts while Harry and Ron were locked in another spirited game of wizard's chess.

"What's that you're playing?" Mr. Granger asked as he got up and approached Harry and Ron. He had obviously heard enough about how much potion it would take to straighten Hermione's hair and how much makeup Ginny would be permitted to wear.

"It's wizard's chess." Ron said as his knight ceremoniously knocked the head of Harry's queen. Even though the game wasn't officially over, Harry's king darted straight off the board and began hiding behind some of his other discarded pieces.

"Well looks like this game is over." Harry said as he began putting the pieces back on to the board including the king who was fighting with all his might to stay off it. Ron called over to Hermione who did a quick spell that restored all of the pieces to new.

"Would you like to play?" Ron asked Mr. Granger who was eyeing the board curiously.

"Is it any different than regular chess?" Mr. Granger asked glancing at his daughter.

"Nah." Harry answered. "It's just a little violent and the pieces move themselves once you tell them where to go."

"Alright then." Mr. Granger agreed eyeing Ron intensely. "I used to be a pretty good chessman in my day. Let's see what you've got." And with that, the finest game of chess that Harry had ever seen erupted.

Each man took what seemed like ages to make their moves. After about an hour of play, everyone gathered around the table to watch the match which seemed to make Ron a little uncomfortable because the second Hermione started watching he made an ill advised move with his knight that Mr. Granger immediately capitalized on.

As the night wore on and the game went into the second hour, Mrs. Weasley went off to bed taking Ginny and Mrs. Granger with her. Hermione seemed to have a permanent grin tattooed to her face as she watched Ron and her father do battle. But in the third hour of the match, that grin turned to exhaustion. Harry was feeling pretty tired himself and upon examining the board realized that the end didn't seem to be immediately in sight.

"Come on Hermione." Harry said as he got up yawning. Hermione had fallen asleep and jolted awake at Harry's prodding. They said goodnight to Ron and Mr. Granger as they walked out the door but Harry got the distinct impression that they hadn't heard a word that they said as they were so involved in their game.

Harry and Hermione quickly ascended the stairs to the respective bedrooms and bid each other goodnight. Harry couldn't remember being as tired in a long time and was into a dreamless sleep before his head even hit the pillow.

Harry was awakened by the opening of his door in the middle of the night. He squinted to see who it was but quickly realized that it must be Ron. He was whispering something that Harry couldn't hear. But then Harry heard another voice.

"Remember what you promised." Mr. Granger said softly.

"I will sir." Ron whispered back.

Harry was immediately intrigued. However, exhaustion flooded over him once more and he fell back asleep vowing to remember to question Ron about that encounter.

Author's Note 2: The story is coming to a close soon. I never meant for them to finish their entire 6th year at Hogwarts in this story and you will see why. I would say that there are probably only 3 or 4 chapters left. I also have a sequel in mind. Thanks


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